


Bittersweet

by SeraphOfTheGay



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Cobra - Freeform, Crime Sorcière, Fluff, Implied Smut, M/M, Oracion Seis - Freeform, Rogue Cheney - Freeform, Sabertooth - Freeform, Shopping, Sting Eucliffe - Freeform, Sting/Rogue/Meredy BROTP, Yukino Aguria - Freeform, aguria sisters, ice-cream, mall, minerva orland - Freeform, sting x rogue, stingue, sweets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-05-16 09:16:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5822956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeraphOfTheGay/pseuds/SeraphOfTheGay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everything in the light is freed from darkness forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Scream For Ice-Cream

**Author's Note:**

> To keep it brief, this story will contain things you never expected.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice-cream is best enjoyed with sprinkles of Stingue, a drizzle of jealousy, and a cherry to top it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the ice-cream store name that I came up with ^.^
> 
> I hope to achieve the goal of giving more love to Crime Sorcière with this story.

According to Rogue Cheney, Sting was crazy if he thought he could get him to wear something like that.

On this perfect summer day, Sting and Rogue had chosen to spend their time at the mall, shopping for new clothes and other things. Anyone would choose this day to go out and have some fun. The weather was perfect: there was no intense heat or ice-cold breeze, just a fair amount of sunlight streaming through the scattered arrangement of clouds in the sky. Even indoor activities could be enjoyed on a day like this.

Let's just say that Rogue, however, was not enjoying the current situation he'd gotten himself into.

"Sting, I am  _not_  wearing this!" Rogue whisper-yelled at his boyfriend, blushing with embarrassment. He shoved the garment back into Sting's hands, turning around and crossing his arms over his chest.

"But Rooguuueee, I can just see how good this will look on you! Just imagining it makes me all happy inside," Sting told him, spinning around with the clothing item gripped in his hands.

Rogue remained standing with his back faced to his partner, refusing to turn back around. His cheeks were steaming hot and he couldn't let anybody see him like that.

"What's so bad about it anyway?" Sting asked, pouting. "I mean I'd totally wear it if I was buying this for myself."

"First of all, that is way too tight for me to wear," Rogue huffed. "And second, even if I did buy it for myself, you'd probably end up wearing it anyway. I do recall you wearing my clothes more times than once."

"That's because I love how your scent is on them," Sting sighed with content, blushing lightly. "And so what if it's tight? That's the point."

"Point?" Rogue asked, turning to face Sting as he raised an eyebrow.

"You're always wearing such baggy clothing," Sting explained. "I really love your clothing style, I mean don't get me wrong, but you need something that will bring this out more." 

When Sting didn't gesture to anything, Rogue questioned his statement.

"Bring what out more?" Rogue asked with a small frown.

Sting smirked as he walked up to him, standing behind his familiar frame before wrapping his arms around his waist. Rogue's face only turned a deeper shade of red as Sting ran his hands across his muscles and abs. Clearly, only one of them was all up for public displays of affection.

"S-Sting!" Rogue shrieked, completely flushed. "What did I tell you about doing stuff like this in public?!"

"I was trying to prove a point," Sting argued, resting his chin on Rogue's shoulder. "I want you to get this so I can see your perfect body more often."

Rogue was about to respond to that but he caught a glimpse of another customer coming towards them, so his reflexes acted on their own as he punched Sting square in the face. Luckily, he didn't put much force into it so it wasn't too bad. Or at least that's what Rogue thought.

"OW!" Sting shrieked, his hand immediately going to his cheek. "The fuck was that for?!"

"S-sorry!" Rogue quickly apologized. "A-are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sting mumbled, rubbing his sore cheek. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"You already know not to," Rogue said, his expression changing to that of a smug one.

"Right, right," Sting shook his head before smiling at Rogue. "You're cute when you get mad, though."

"Stiiinggg," Rogue elongated his name, reminding him that the fact wasn't true.

"Ha, you can ' _Stiiinggg_ ' me all you want but that is a proven fact, my little shadow," Sting grinned. "So are we going to buy this shirt or not?"

Rogue took a deep breath. He really couldn't get out of this one. If Sting was so fervent about buying this, then he had no choice. "I suppose."

"Great!" Sting cheered, rushing to the register. He quickly payed for it before Rogue could even pull out his wallet.

"I had money, you know," Rogue pouted when he returned.

"Yeah, but save it for when you're buying me dessert," Sting said, his eyes sparkling.

"Why would I buy you dessert at this hour?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I'm hungry, and you owe it to me for punching my beautiful face," Sting explained.

"Really?" Rogue asked in disbelief.

Sting nodded, making Rogue sigh. He guessed a little ice-cream wouldn't hurt. Rogue could use something sweet himself, and ice-cream did seem to always brighten his mood. He could already taste the chocolatey flavors swirling in his mouth. Usually, Rogue had trouble choosing between Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chocolate Therapy, or Chocolate Peppermint Crunch. They were all splendid flavors that he just couldn't get enough of. He loved them almost as much as he loved Sting, and that was really saying something.

Sting always thought (and still does) that it was gross how people mixed mint with chocolate, so one day he dared Rogue to try some to let him know how bad it was. Long story short, Rogue ended up falling in love with the flavor and now it's been added to his top three favorites. Rogue was basically a chocoholic, but only Sting knew this about him.

Sting's taste, on the other hand, was very bland when it came to flavors: he always wanted vanilla. (Rogue thinks that vanilla just tastes like creamy milk). Sure, Rogue knew Sting liked anything that was white, but he wouldn't even try something like the Buttercream or Cake Batter. It was always vanilla, and Rogue was trying to get him to try a different flavor, but with Sting being as stubborn as he is, it was practically impossible.

The two dragon slayers approached their favorite ice-cream store, Cream Sorcière, a small but very decorative little shop. The way it was put together could make anyone lose their foul mood. It was bright and cheerful, but not too much to the point where it was blinding or looked like a unicorn threw up on it. (Sting has made this joke multiple times).

Before they even step foot in the store, Sting let out a high-pitched squeal that made Rogue think he was attacked by a candy cane or something. Why candy canes? Who knows. Perhaps he had a one-track mind relating to sweets and a candy cane seemed like the most feasible weapon.

"ROGUE!" Sting exclaimed, pointing at a sign and jumping up and down like a child. "LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!"

"What is it?!" Rogue yelled as he tried to calm him down. He placed his hands firmly on Sting's shoulders, keeping him in place.

"They have a new item!" Sting continued pointing at the sign, the huge dorky smile still plastered on his face.

Rogue turned his head and looked at what he was pointing to. It was indeed a new item, one that Rogue had never heard of or seen before. It looked like some sort of fancy sundae, and they were called PassionParfaits. Rogue didn't like the idea of it, he just preferred ice-cream, but Sting looked super excited about it, and Rogue had to admit that he  _was_  trying to get Sting to try something other than vanilla ice-cream. Great, here he was giving into Sting's whim. Sometimes his wishes were too hard to resist, and not even Rogue could do anything about it.

"And I'm assuming you'd like to try it out?" Rogue sighed, already knowing the answer.

Sting was so excited that he couldn't even speak. He just nodded his head, and Rogue couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He took Sting's hand and walked over to the counter, facing the person at the register. He was just about to order when all words died in his throat.

Strange. The usual clerk, a young, friendly girl named Meredy, wasn't there. She was always there whenever Sting and Rogue came by. Rogue didn't like talking to people behind the counter because he felt anxious about it all, but since he and Sting had become close with Meredy, there was no need for him to have trouble while ordering. Now was a different case. There was a new woman there. One that made shivers run down Rogue's spine.

"How may I help you today?" the woman asked. Her smile seemed devious, and the tone in her voice could make anyone's blood run cold.

Rogue looked to Sting for help, who immediately understood. No words had to be shared between them for them to convey their message to each other. They could communicate solely through their eyes, and that really helped in situations like these.

"Uh, yeah, hi," Sting greeted, looking up at the board. "We'd like one medium cup of Chocolate Fudge Brownie, with oreos, and one of those PassionParfaits."

Rogue sighed in relief for the fact that Sting had done the ordering for them and saved him the difficult decision of choosing between his three favorite flavors.

"Good choice," the woman smiled, her snow-white hair glistening under the fluorescent lights. "I'm glad you took an interest in our new item."

Rogue didn't like this woman one bit. She simply creeped him out. He especially didn't like the way she was eyeing his boyfriend. 

"Yeah, haha," Sting chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you know where Meredy is by any chance? You know, the pink-haired girl that always works here?"

"She's on break for a while," the woman told him as she put the order in. Her co-workers got to work, preparing their desserts. "I'll be taking over for the next month."

"Oh, I see," Sting said half-heartedly. He had wanted to share the incident of buying Rogue a tight shirt with Meredy. They'd surely have a good laugh about it. 

Rogue peered at the woman's name tag. It read "Angel," and that sounded very ironic to him. This woman had piercing brown eyes that almost reminded him of Yukino's, but his guildmate's eyes were softer and kinder. Angel's eyes and her overall appearance looked more demonic than angelic. 

"Are you sure your little friend doesn't want to try a PassionParfait as well?" Angel asked, the sickly tone still present in her voice. She glanced at Rogue, and that nearly made his breathing stop.

"No, he's fine," Sting answered for him. "And he's my boyfriend, by the way." He threw his arm over Rogue's shoulder, pulling the blushing shadow mage close. 

"Good to know," she said, not actually meaning it. 

Sting was trying to be nice on the outside, even though on the inside he was slightly pissed off. He quickly placed a kiss on Rogue's cheek and leaned against him while waiting for the order. 

These new workers sure were taking their good ol' time making the orders. When Meredy was there, she only had two people working with her, a nice pair of teens named Jellal and Ultear. Despite there only being the two of them, they got the orders done fast. Ultear's time magic really helped them, but they were also fast workers in general. Plus, Jellal always gave them a discount because they were close with Meredy. 

When their order did arrive ten times later than usual, of which they had to still pay full price plus tax for, they left the store instead of lounging on their favorite cotton candy-looking chairs. Sting suggested that they should stay, but Rogue didn't like the nasty feel in the atmosphere. Without Meredy, Jellal, and Ultear, Cream Sorcière just wasn't the same. He wanted to leave as soon as possible, so that's exactly what he did.

Sting and Rogue chose a bench behind one of the indoor trees, a private area near an unpopular store. It was quiet and peaceful, just like the way Rogue wanted it to be. The shadow dragon slayer took a seat and began shoving the ice-cream in his mouth, steam practically blowing out of his ears. Sting was about to take a bite of his dessert when he noticed the angry way Rogue was eating his ice-cream. He began to worry.

"You okay, Rogue?" Sting asked, setting his spoon down. 

"Just...mpf...fine..." Rogue grumbled, still eating the ice-cream nonstop.

"Hey, don't eat so fast! You'll get a brain freeze!" Sting warned, grabbing the spoon out of his hands. 

Rogue's mouth fell open, and he immediately began reaching for the spoon, trying to get it back as soon as possible. Sting quickly shoved Rogue's spoon in his own mouth, his expression turning into that of a disgusted one after tasting something so chocolatey. (But he had to admit that the taste of Rogue was one to his liking.)

"What's your problem?" Rogue asked, frowning. He set his cup of ice-cream down on the bench as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I should be asking you that," Sting responded after he pulled the spoon out of his mouth. "Why were you eating your ice-cream so quickly?"

"Just...agh, it's nothing," Rogue sighed, turning his head. He didn't understand why he was doing what he was doing, so he really didn't have a way to answer that question.

"Well, I miss Meredy too, but I'm not gonna go all ape shit over it," Sting scoffed, teasing Rogue. "Even I can't eat ice-cream that fast."

"Well now there's another thing I'm better at than you," Rogue smirked. "And anyways, it's not just that. It's that new person. She's creepy."

"I don't like her either, but it's nothing to go crazy over. Meredy'll be back in a month, so until then, we just have to go on an ice-cream hiatus."

"But my chocolate ice-cream!" Rogue cried, glancing at his unfinished cup. "Can I have my spoon back so I can savor the last of it?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," Sting apologized, licking the rest of the spoon before handing it back to Rogue.

Rogue raised an eyebrow at him, taking the spoon back. "I thought you didn't like my 'chocolate overhaul.'"

"I don't. I just like how your taste is on it," Sting smiled, a blush dusting his cheeks. 

"I can't believe I won't be eating this again for another month," Rogue pouted as he continued to finish off the rest of the ice-cream. 

"I'll give you something better to eat tonight," Sting wiggled his eyebrows, glancing at Rogue in a suggestive manner. Rogue nearly choked on his ice-cream before smacking Sting upside the head.

"Just eat your damn sundae," Rogue huffed, glaring at him.

"It's not a sundae, it's a  _PassionParfait,_ " Sting enunciated. 

"PassionParfait, SmasionParfait, same difference." Rogue rolled his eyes. That made Sting laugh.

"You know what else is gonna be 'smasion?'" Sting asked, pronouncing the word like "smashing."

"Sting Eucliffe, you either shut up right now or else I'll shove this chocolate ice-cream right in your mouth!" Rogue threatened, his cheeks turning red.

"Maybe you could shove something else in my mouth?" 

"STING!"

Sting covered his mouth, trying to contain his laughter, but it failed. He completely lost it, nearly falling off the bench in the process. Rogue watched him with his face hotter than Natsu's fire, unable to deny the fact that Sting's laugh was music to his ears. Once Sting finally stopped laughing, he had to readjust himself and wipe away the few tears that escaped his eyes. 

"Oh my god you should've seen the look on your face," Sting panted, taking a deep breath to stop his laughter. 

"If you don't eat your stupid PassionParfait it's gonna melt." Rogue tried to change the subject to avoid any more of Sting's perverted statements. "You were so excited about it, so don't make me regret buying it for you."

"Alright, alright," Sting gave up, picking up his spoon and the glass bowl his dessert came in. He quickly dipped the spoon in it and took a bite. It didn't even take more than five seconds for his eyes to light up. "H-holy shit...!"

"What?" Rogue asked, tilting his head.

"THIS IS FUCKING AMAZING!" Sting exclaimed. The entire PassionParfait was gone before Rogue could even blink. 

"Now who's the one eating it insanely fast?!" Rogue yelled, eyes widening. 

"More!! More!! More!!" Sting repeatedly chanted, turning side to side like a crazed maniac. "I...need...more!"

"B-but what about the hiatus?!" Rogue asked, placing a hand on Sting's shoulder. It wasn't easy to calm the sugar-high blonde down.

"Fuck that, I need more of this right now!" Sting demanded, standing up. Rogue didn't even have the chance to protest before Sting took off in the direction towards Cream Sorcière, leaving him utterly speechless.

Yes, Sting loved sweets, but this was a bit overboard. Was this new item really that good? Rogue was curious about the taste, but he had no interest in trying it. He wasn't all up for the new things. Rogue liked to stick to old customs, preferring retro over new and popular. Sting really didn't care about what was new and what wasn't, he just ate and loved whatever seemed appealing to him.

Speaking of Sting, when Rogue grudgingly approached Cream Sorcière for the second time that day, he was very surprised to see Sting carrying at least ten more bowls of PassionParfaits. Okay, things were really getting out of hand. To order two of something was good enough, but ten was just over the top.

Rogue stormed towards Sting to yell at him but then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Angel running her unpleasant fingers across Sting's jawline. 

Well that really did it. Rogue was boiling with hate, and if Sting hadn't returned to him that very second with that big dorky smile of his, someone might've ended up dead. He forced himself to stay calm as he led Sting as far away as possible from the ice-cream store. He decided to save the lecturing about the PassionParfaits for later. As Sting continued to binge eat his newfound dessert obsession like a glutton, Rogue couldn't help but to worry. He demanded that they head home immediately, not accepting no as an answer. Sting agreed as long as Rogue let him eat all of his PassionParfaits on the walk home. Rogue was about to tell him how bad of an idea that was, but if it was going to get Sting away from Angel and that ice-cream store, then he couldn't worry about that right now. He'd deal with that problem later.

As they exited the mall, Rogue couldn't help but notice the mischievous glint in Angel's brown eyes. A feeling of uneasiness washed over him, making his stomach feel queasy all of a sudden. Rogue's hands curled into fists, his teeth gritting against each other like two blades.

She knew something they didn't. And it was really pissing him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Stingue fic for you all~! I am really excited about writing this, and the chapters should come out a lot faster (hopefully) because I have the whole story/plot planned out. This isn't going to be as long as Beautiful Disaster, but I really hope you guys like it! 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts about the first chapter. <3


	2. Lost Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting acts up, and Rogue's suspicions only grow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter than the last one! The next one will most likely be long again.

“Sting, can you please stop eating those?” Rogue asked in a worried tone, glancing at his boyfriend. 

Since the second they stepped out of the mall, Sting had been stuffing his face with the PassionParfaits he purchased. He had ten at the beginning, but now he was down to only four. And it hadn’t even been five minutes since they left the shopping center.

When Sting didn’t answer, which was kind of strange, Rogue took a deep breath. “Dear, how much did all of that cost you?”

Sting swallowed what was in his mouth and turned to face the shadow dragon slayer. “I got ‘em for free. That Angel lady said it was free of charge. I dunno why but it sure worked on my side.”

He returned to eating them again, and Rogue couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart. Why did he feel so… _envious_ of this woman? She had nothing he had, yet he still felt like punching her in the face or strangling her throat. What a pleasant turn that took.

To get his mind off his violent thoughts, Rogue decided to reminisce about Meredy.

“Hey, do you remember the day we met Meredy?” Rogue asked, a small smile forming on his lips.

“Um, no actually,” Sting answered, throwing PassionParfait number six into a nearby trashcan. He pulled out the seventh one and started eating it.

Rogue was a little shocked from his answer. Sure, Sting didn’t have the best memory in the world, but he always kept important dates in his head. Like the day he met Rogue, which is the most important day to him, and the days he met his other friends, along with their birthdays. Those were things that Sting never forgot. So clearly, Rogue had the right to be surprised when he couldn’t remember the day they had met their cheerful friend.

“No? But…you always remember the times when you meet important people…” Rogue told him, his worry rising.

“Eh, I dunno Rogue,” Sting said, not even caring in the slightest. “What’s it matter anyway?”

Well that didn’t sound like Sting at all. Rogue’s mind immediately went to Angel, thinking that she may have cast some sort of spell on him, but he didn’t believe she could pull off something like that in such a short amount of a time, let alone in public. 

Rogue refused to give up on this. He guessed it was fine that Sting didn’t remember the day, but he would surely have to remember this one special time the three of them shared together. 

“Okay, fine,” Rogue said with a sigh, his confidence faltering. “But I know you remember this. Remember that time a few years ago, when you, me, and Meredy hung out? We were at the park, sitting on a branch together, and then all of a sudden we could feel and sense each other’s thoughts. You know, the time when we realized and found out our true feelings for each other? Even though we didn’t find out till later that Meredy had secretly set up a sensory link between us, it was special because that was when we finally got together…as a couple...”

“Must’ve been an awesome day,” Sting responded as he continued eating spoonfuls of the dessert.

_Must’ve?_ Rogue thought, slightly confused. He was joking, right? How could he forget the day he claimed was on his top five favorites? Hell, how could he forget a day as important as that one? That day meant everything to Rogue, and Sting had said the same thing.

“Sting, I think your mind is all messed up from eating all of those stupid things,” Rogue pointed out, grabbing the eighth PassionParfait out of Sting’s hands. “You might have a brain freeze.”

“What makes you say that?” Sting asked, a bit annoyed. He extended his arm towards Rogue to get the cup back but Rogue held it out of his reach. “I’m fine, Rogue! Give me back my damn PassionParfait!”

“Sting,” Rogue said in a strict tone. “Stop. Eating. Them.”

“Make me!” Sting argued, tackling Rogue and grabbing the cup. He stuffed the remainder of it into his mouth before tossing it away.

“Go pick that up!” Rogue yelled, watching the empty cup land in the grass. He turned back to Sting, a glint of disappointment residing in his ruby eyes. “Since when do you litter?!”

“Since now, smartass,” Sting scoffed, pulling out PassionParfait number nine from his bag. “Who gives a fuck? People litter all the time. It’s not like it’s the end of the world if I leave _one thing_ on the ground. You’re such a worrywart. Stop worrying about the dumbest things.”

Rogue froze, a bit hurt by that statement. The tone in Sting’s voice didn’t make it sound like a joke. What was going on? Rogue didn’t like Sting’s behavior one bit. He assumed that Sting eating all of those desserts might’ve made him a little crazy, so after Sting had finished the ninth one, he reluctantly hit him, this time very hard and on purpose. 

Sting didn’t even have a chance to react because he didn’t see it coming. The second Rogue’s fist made contact with his abdomen, he passed out. Rogue felt super guilty, but he was starting to get worried about Sting’s well-being so he had no other choice. 

Rogue picked Sting up bridal-style and carried him all the way back to their house. It didn’t take him long to arrive, due to the fact that the mall was not too far from where they lived. 

When he opened the door, Frosch and Lector greeted him with worried looks, but he assured them that everything was okay. He took Sting up to their shared bedroom and carefully set him down on the bed before tucking him in. Rogue placed a kiss on Sting’s forehead, hoping that it would ease his probable brain freeze and also to express is endearing love. 

“Is Sting gonna be okay?” Lector asked, walking into the bedroom. “I know you said that he would, but I’m worried.”

“Fro is too,” Frosch agreed with a small frown. 

“He will be,” Rogue assured again. On the inside, he too was worried. Probably more than Frosch and Lector combined. He just had to hope that Sting was just moody and tired, and that everything would be better after he woke up. 

Rogue couldn’t take his eyes off of Sting. His usual tanned face was slowly draining of color, droplets of sweat glistened on his temples, and a painful expression etched in his features. His mouth was slightly open, and his breathing was a bit off.

Rogue knew he had to keep hoping for the best, no matter how concerned he was. 

“What happened, anyway?” Lector inquired, disrupting Rogue’s trail of thoughts.

“Uh..well..I bought him some dessert at Cream Sorcière and he got addicted to it…so he ended up eating a lot and passed out,” Rogue lied, refusing to tell them the truth. He bit his lip, feeling bad about lying to them. He had to admit, however, that at least it was better than telling them that Sting was acting strange and that he literally had to knock him out to prevent anything worse from happening. 

“Sounds like Sting to me,” Lector laughed nervously. “Will you be watching over him?”

“Of course,” Rogue answered. “I’ll be by his side until he wakes up.”

“Okay!” Lector exclaimed, his mood lifting. “Fro and I will be at the park. Just come get us if you need anything!”

“Fro thinks so too!” Frosch added while following Lector out the door. The two exceeds left the room, leaving Sting and Rogue alone.

Rogue cupped Sting’s face in his hands, the frown still on his face. 

_That damn Angel,_ Rogue thought, his eyebrows furrowing in anger. He wondered what she could’ve done to made Sting act up like that. Rogue slowly felt his mind being driven to paranoia as vexatious possibilities entered his trail of thoughts. 

He was just about to silently curse her out when he felt Sting grab his hand and smile in his sleep. Rogue paused, unable to deny the fact that Sting looked really adorable. Maybe he was overthinking it. Sting probably _was_ just tired and moody earlier, and he would be back to his normal self after a nice rest. Rogue nodded, keeping the positive thought in mind. 

He quickly stripped off his boots and his cape, crawling into bed with Sting. He wrapped his arms around Sting and nuzzled into his chest. _Everything’s gonna be okay_ **,** he thought. Rogue squeezed Sting’s hand tightly, slowly closing his eyes. The small smile remained on his face as he drifted off into sleep.

Only if that smile was able to last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *leaves it off at the suspense*


	3. The Inimical Alteration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was foolish to think that the problem would be solved overnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made this one a little longer than the previous one~! Enjoy!

Sting Eucliffe woke up groggier than ever.

The second he opened his eyes, his head felt like it had been pierced with a thousand knives, each one crushing his mind with fatal blows. 

It wasn’t very pleasant, to say the least. The pain was agonizing, and Sting felt like someone had frozen his brain. It was heavy, cold, and nauseating. No wonder they had called it a brain freeze.

For some odd reason, Sting couldn’t recall anything that had happened the day before. His mind was all hazy, and his vision was blurry. He wondered what could've made him end up like this.

Just as he was about to get up to ask somebody what had happened, he felt a light weight on his chest. Thin, pale hands were gripping his own, and a mess of dark hair was scattered upon his upper body. Sting smiled instantly as he realized who it was: none other than his precious Rogue. His expression softened from panicked to calm. He nuzzled into Rogue’s hair, breathing in his delicate scent. 

Sting came to the conclusion that Rogue must've stayed with him the whole time he was passed out. Sting always loved that about Rogue. How caring he was, how he worked so hard to take care of him, and how he was so protective. He was perfection.

“Rogue…” Sting whispered, placing a kiss on Rogue’s forehead. “Thank you for staying by my side.”

Rogue’s eyes fluttered open as he felt warm lips come into contact with his skin. His heart immediately jumped in his chest, so fast that it nearly came out his throat. 

“St-Sting!” Rogue choked out, rising quickly from his position on the bed. The speed of his breathing slightly increased, his chest rising and falling faster than before. 

Sting tilted his head, a bit confused from his sudden reaction. They were lost in each other’s eyes for a solid five minutes, staring at each other without any words being exchanged. 

Sting didn’t think Rogue could get any paler, but he was turning as white as a ghost with each passing second. “R-Rogue? Are you o-"

Before he could finish, Rogue lunged forward, capturing him in a tight embrace. Sting was still a bit muzzy, so he couldn’t even think straight. He didn’t know what to say or how to react to his boyfriend’s sudden -and unexpected- gesture.

Rogue began quietly crying into his chest, trembling as he held the white dragon slayer as tightly as possible. “I-I’m…I’m so glad you’re okay…” he sobbed, moving his head up to Sting’s neck. 

“Of course I’m okay,” Sting assured in a hoarse voice, still confused. “Why wouldn’t I be?” When Rogue didn’t answer, Sting took a deep breath. “Hey, do you know why I feel so weak?” He thought about it for a second, trying to recall whatever he could. “No way, did we have sex last night? How do I not remember? It must’ve been some good shit if I ended up like this.”

Rogue’s cheeks burned with red as he shook his head. “N-no, that’s not what happened.”

“Then what?” Sting pressed.

“Sting, what’s the last thing you remember?” Rogue asked, letting go of him.

He now sat in front of Sting on their king-sized bed, facing him with solemness in his ruby eyes.

“Ah…well…” Sting began, scratching his head. He had no idea why Rogue would bring that up, but he decided to go along with it. “We were at the mall or something…and I bought you that shirt…and we met some creepy woman at the ice-cream store? And then after that, I honestly don’t remember.”

Rogue gulped nervously. “I know this may be random, but,” he started. Rogue had to make sure that Sting truly was okay. He was going to re-ask the question about Meredy to make sure that he was _really_ back to normal. “Do you remember the day we first met Meredy?”

“Of course I do,” Sting answered instantly. “It was during that festival in Crocus. We met her at one of the game stands and she helped us win that game where if you predict what the other person is thinking, you win. Worked perfectly with her magic.”

Rogue breathed out a huge sigh of relief. He’d never been more thankful in his life. “And… you remember that she was the reason we got together, right?”

“Hell yeah I do! How could I ever forget that?” Sting chuckled, pushing himself up so he could sit upright. He reached out and grabbed Rogue’s little neckerchief, pulling him closer while giving him an eskimo kiss. “What’s with these questions, hmm?” 

“Nothing,” Rogue whispered softly, caressing Sting’s face. “I’m just glad you’re back to normal.”

“Normal? What the hell did I do yesterday? Was it that bad?”

“Don’t worry about it. I think it’s best if you don’t know.”

“Fuck, you just made me want to know about it more.”

“Trust me, I don’t think you want to.”

“Okay, I trust you. But you better tell me at some point. I really want to know what I did that made you so worried.”

Rogue nodded, not sure if he would put up with that end of the bargain. He decided to change the subject so he could avoid further conversation on that matter. “Are you hungry?” 

“I’m always hungry,” Sting reminded him, yawning. “Man, I have a strange craving for ice-cream for some reason.”

Rogue’s heart nearly stopped. “NO!” he suddenly shouted, startling Sting, who nearly fell off the bed from the abrupt reaction.

“Jeez, I didn’t know ice-cream was that bad,” Sting breathed out, blinking while recovering from his mini heart-attack.

“S-sorry,” Rogue apologized. “No ice-cream for a month. Got it?”

“Huh? Why not?” Sting asked, pouting. He was also slightly surprised, considering how much Rogue loved his chocolate ice-cream. “What am I supposed to eat with my chocolate cake now?”

“Eat it without your creamy milk,” Rogue deadpanned.

“Vanilla isn’t creamy milk! It actually has flavor!” Sting argued.

“I don’t know about that. Just tastes like milk to me,” Rogue shrugged.

“That’s because you’re way too into chocolate! You’ve lost your sense of taste for vanilla!” 

“That doesn’t even make sense. I don’t like it, and that’s that.” Rogue was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. Sting usually didn't argue with him about personal preferences, well at least not in that way, because they were mature enough to accept each other’s differences. 

“WELL THEN YOU’RE FUCKING STUPID!” Sting yelled, infuriated. Rogue was now the startled one, and he actually _did_ end up falling off the bed. “GO FUCK YOURSELF, ROGUE! YOU PIECE OF-"

The door burst open, interrupting him, and Lector and Frosch came running inside.

“What’s with all the yelling, Sting?!” Lector asked, somewhat relieved that his partner was awake.

“Fro wants to know too!” Frosch exclaimed.

“Get the fuck outta here,” Sting growled, glaring at Lector. The poor exceed froze in place, shivering from his friend’s ice-cold stare. 

“St-Sting?” Lector stuttered, taken aback from his statement.

“I SAID LEAVE! DO I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!” he shouted, gritting his teeth.

Lector jumped from fright, and without another word, he and Frosch retreated from the room, closing the door behind them. They were too scared to question any further, leaving with hope that Rogue would be able to deal with the moody dragon slayer.

“Now back to you.” Sting’s attention returned to Rogue as he pounced on top of him, pinning him to the cold ground.

“Sting…what’s wrong with you…” Rogue tried to say, still in shock from his behavior. True, the two dragon slayers had their petty arguments from time to time, but Rogue had never seen him lash out like that at Lector. Rogue was trying to reason with him, but it was hard for him to speak with Sting gripping his throat, so vice to the point where it matched the death restraint of a snake capturing its prey.

“Nothing’s wrong with me. You’re the one with problems,” Sting chastised.

Rogue was going to say something about that, but Sting’s grip tightened, preventing him from doing so.

“S..Sting…p-please let go…c-can’t…breathe…” Rogue struggled, his words dying in his damaged throat.

“Shut up,” Sting rebuked. “I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Rogue’s eyes as he glanced helplessly into Sting’s eyes. They were no longer deep or full of love and emotion, but rather cold and soulless, almost like a demon’s. 

Rogue was scared. He never imagined himself to be scared of Sting, but here was, trembling in fear at the mercy of the white dragon slayer. At first he thought Sting was just mad at him because of the ice-cream thing, but clearly that wasn’t the case after seeing how he acted towards Lector. Plus, he would never take it this far, no matter what they fought over. Sting would never dare hurt Rogue on purpose. 

Rogue knew it. Something was wrong. Way wrong. It was foolish of him to think that the problem would disappear overnight.

The only solution he could think of right now was getting Sting to release him before trying to talk some sense into him.

Roguewrapped his fingers around Sting’s wrist, grasping it firmly. He did his best to pry Sting’s stubborn hand off his throat, in which he (thankfully) succeeded in. He smiled in relief before coughing as he tried to regain air into his heavy lungs. 

After his little coughing fit, he looked back at Sting, whose sapphire eyes were now glaring daggers at him. 

Rogue decided to knock him out again, even though he really didn’t want to. An attack was readied, but before it could make contact, Sting froze in place as if someone had stopped time. To Rogue’s surprise, Sting started spazzing out a bit like a circuit that had been enveloped in water. Rogue stood there dumbfounded for a couple of seconds, until Sting’s hand shot up to his head, rubbing his temples tiredly.

“Agh…what the fuck…” Sting groaned, closing his eyes tightly. “Why…why do I feel so dizzy…?”

“Sting…?” Rogue questioned, a bit nervous to step any closer to him.

Sting turned his head to Rogue, unable to make out his figure. His vision was cloudy; all he could see were blobs of black and gray. 

“I..Is that you, Rogue?” Sting asked in a soft whisper. Rogue could tell that it was hard for him to stay standing from the way his feet wobbled and his knees shook. 

Rogue had no idea what was going on. He was so confused; one minute, Sting was fine, the next, he was some crazed psychopath that wanted to strangle him, and then he was back to normal again.

He stepped closer to the white dragon slayer, remaining cautious.“It’s me, Sting.”

“I..feel..so weak..” Sting managed out, falling back against their dresser. “I…need…h-"

Rogue appeared beside him in a flash, catching his limp body before it nearly collapsed to the floor. He gripped Sting firmly in his arms, whose eyes had shut yet again. He returned to his coma-like state as Rogue began seething with rage. Angel would definitely pay. Yes, he had confirmed that it had to be her. Who else could’ve done something this vile in such a short period of time? She was the only suspect, and when Rogue got his hands on her, she would be the one who ended up suffering.

“Rogue!” a voice called, pulling him out of his thoughts. Rogue’s head turned in an instant towards the location of the voice. Minerva pushed the door open, entering the room. “Hey, are you alright?”

“My lady…what are you doing here?” Rogue asked, watching her walk towards him.

“Lector and Frosch told me about Sting,” she explained, looking down at Sabertooth’s guild master. His expression looked very pained and feverish. “What happened? Is he okay?”

“No,” Rogue mumbled, brushing some blonde strands out of his face. “He isn’t okay, Minerva.”

“Is he sick?”

“I think it’s more than that.”

“What do you mean?”

Rogue bit his lip. He really didn’t want to go through the process of explaining the whole incident to her. Nobody had to know what Sting did, because if anyone else started to fear him after they found out the truth, Rogue would never be able to forgive himself. “Nothing, my lady. Please let me take care of this on my own.”

“Are you crazy? Our guild master is in that condition, and you want me to-" She stopped when she saw tears pooling in Rogue’s eyes, rolling down his cheeks smoothly as they landed on Sting’s face in tiny droplets. She stepped back, her expression twisting into a frown. It wasn’t normal to see Rogue cry, at least not in front of her. A sigh escaped her lips as she placed her hands on her hips. “Okay, Rogue. He’s all yours. Please let me know when he gets better. Good luck.” 

Rogue smiled slightly, nodding. Minerva excused herself and left the room. He was relieved that she understood.

Rogue carefully placed Sting on his back, carrying him in a piggyback ride. He had to go see Angel quickly and somehow make her undo whatever malicious spell she cast on his precious Sting. His shadow travel was the best option, so within a couple of seconds, he disappeared into his shadows and reappeared in a private area in the mall. 

Gripping Sting tightly, he headed towards Cream Sorcière. He closed his eyes as he walked, not wanting to face such a hideous person when he reached the ice-cream store. He swallowed nervously, trying to muster up courage to lash out at her. Being anxious wouldn’t help him, so he decided to push all of those feelings away so he could get his revenge. This was for Sting, after all. And he’d promised that he’d do anything for him.

When he reached the counter, he was just about to open his mouth and let it all out when he froze in his tracks. Instead of the wicked, sickly voice he expected to hear, he heard a giggle. 

“Hi, Roguey!” a familiar voice greeted him. Rogue’s eyes shot open, instantly seeing beautiful, curly pink hair and green eyes. 

“M-Meredy?” Rogue asked, blinking from shock. “W-What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” she laughed, leaning on the counter. “I work here, silly! How could you forget?” She knocked gently on Rogue’s forehead and smiled. 

“I d-didn’t forget…I..I thought…you were gone for a month…” Rogue stammered, his knees shaking. The confidence he usually carried whilst talking to Meredy had gone down the drain, replaced with complete and utter fear.

“Why would I be gone?” Meredy asked, tilting her head. She caught a glimpse of Sting, who was passed out on Rogue’s shoulders. “Hey, what’s wrong with Stingy?”

Rogue nearly forgot that Sting was with him from all the chaos. He walked over to one of the seats in the shop and placed him there, leaning his back against the wall before returning to Meredy. “H-He’s um…well…I came here because…”

“Hm?” Meredy asked, waiting for him to continue after he trailed off.

“I…where’s…?” Rogue began, unable to find the words. He was still paralyzed by the fact that Meredy was in front of him and not the witch lady.

“I think you need ice-cream,” Meredy told him, a bit worried. “Hey! Jellal! Ultear! One order of Chocolate Therapy!”

“Got it!” Jellal and Ultear answered. “Is it Rogue?”

“Yup!” Meredy smiled. “Remember to give him extra sprinkles and oreos!”

“Hey, wait!” Rogue whispered urgently, slamming his hands down on the countertop. 

Meredy noticed how shaky he was, so she placed her hands on top of his. “Hey, calm down. Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost or something?”

“Meredy…please tell me…where is she…?” 

“Where is who?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Angel…” Rogue finally said, his eyes widening. 

“Angel? Who’s that?” Meredy asked, tapping her chin. “Hey, the only angel around here is me~”

“No…” Rogue muttered. He felt himself becoming hysterical. She was just messing with him, right? Yeah! Meredy loved playing pranks and making jokes. “That’s funny, Meredy, but seriously…w-where is she?”

Jellal and Ultear appeared at the counter, handing Rogue his ice-cream. They had overheard a bit of the conversation, and were now whispering about it with Meredy. 

Meredy had come to realize that Rogue wasn’t joking, contrary to her belief. He was serious about his question. She glanced back at him, watching as he stared at the ground.

Rogue was chuckling softly, trying to tell himself that he wasn’t crazy. His eyes said otherwise as they filled with paranoia. The second he looked up and saw their expressions, he felt his breathing fuck up. “So..? Where…?” He asked desperately, begging for an answer.

“Roguey, are you okay?” Meredy asked, glancing at Jellal and Ultear every other second as they shared the same concerned expression.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Rogue croaked, placing his palm on his forehead. “Just tell me where she is…that’s…that’s all I want to know…”

What she said next made his heart stop.

“Rogue,” Meredy began in a solemn tone, reducing her voice down to a soft whisper. “There is no Angel. There never was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I've sparked your interest now if I haven't already before.


	4. Feelings of Contradiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue wakes up in a hospital after the events that took place not moments before. He's more worried and concerned than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was short again! I'm going to save the next bit for the next chapter, because I still need to develop one of the scenes. I hope the story isn't too confusing or rushed ahaha~

_“There is no Angel. There never was.”_

Those were the last words Rogue heard before he hyperventilated and passed out. 

He tried. He really tried to keep his emotions under control, but they had broken free. Why wouldn’t they? Rogue just lost his one chance to find some answers and save Sting. _Wait, Sting!_

Rogue’s eyes burst open as he sat up in a bed that wasn’t his own. The room he was currently in smelled like chemicals, rubbing alcohol, and disinfectant. His brain registered the fact that he was in a hospital, which was indeed where he was.

At first, he couldn’t see anything. His vision was blurred and his head was throbbing, but that didn’t stop him from screaming out in desperation. “Sting! Where’s Sting?! Sting, where are you?!” 

Sweat dripped from the sides of his head, landing on his hands which were curled up into fists. His body shook violently. 

The monitor beside his bed displayed waves representing his heart rate; they were increasing again, rapidly going up and down, and the machine started beeping violently. 

The door to his room burst open, and three people rushed to his side the second the monitor went off, but Rogue couldn’t make out any of them. All he saw was a mixture of blue, black, brown, pink, purple, green, and red. 

“Rogue, calm down!” a familiar voice called out to him. Rogue recognized the voice as Ultear’s. That explained the red and purple. Then the other colors must’ve been…

“Roguey! Please stop freaking out! Sting’s safe, I swear!” a girlier, younger voice yelled. Meredy. 

“He is safe. He woke up moments after you collapsed and returned home,” the third, final voice confirmed.

It took a couple of minutes for Rogue to fully calm down. Soon, the monitor showed that his heart rate was back to normal, causing everyone else in the room to breathe out a sigh of relief. 

“Sting…didn’t come to check on me?” Rogue thought out loud. It wasn’t normal. Sting always checked on Rogue, even for the smallest things. It didn’t make sense to him, or maybe it did? Was this somehow tied into his odd behavior?

“No. He didn’t know where you were, so he thought you went home and decided to go back too. We were going to tell him what really happened but he just took off,” Ultear answered.

“What happened?” Rogue asked, clutching his head. He guessed that this was what Sting must’ve gone through. _Oh, right._ That problem was still in existence. 

“After I told you that nobody named Angel worked at our store, you just collapsed…” Meredy whispered. “I was so worried…”

“I’m fine,” Rogue assured, rubbing his forehead. “So…Angel…isn’t real…?”

Jellal shook his head. Rogue’s vision had cleared up so he could see them clearly now. 

“It must’ve just been a bad dream,” Jellal told him, helping him out of the bed. 

“Probably,” Rogue mumbled, stepping off the furniture. “But there’s…one thing I don’t understand…”

“And what would that be?” Jellal asked.

“If…Angel really isn’t real…then why is Sting…acting so weird? Or did I dream that too?” Rogue wondered, cursing the fact that his terrible nightmares still plagued his mind.

“What does this ‘Angel’ and Sting have to do with one another?” Ultear questioned, tilting her head sideways. 

“I..I’m not sure. It’s just that…” Rogue took a deep breath. “I took Sting to your store, but none of you were there. There was some new woman named Angel. She was looking at Sting in a weird way and I didn’t like it…but anyways, that’s not the point…she got him addicted to some new dessert called PassionParfaits, and after that he started acting differently. I’m not saying there’s a correlation between the desserts and his behavior. I just thought she was the one behind it all.”

“PassionParfaits?” Meredy wondered, glancing up at Jellal and Ultear. “Have we ever sold those before?”

The other two wizards shook their heads, claiming they’ve never heard of such a thing.

Deep inside, Rogue wasn’t buying any of this. There was no way that none of this was real. No matter how much evidence was thrown at him proving that Angel was just a figment of his imagination, Rogue refused to believe that she didn't exist. 

Jellal and the others were probably really confused and thought he was spouting nonsense, so Rogue decided not to let them get involved in his problem any further.

“Maybe it was just a dream. I’ve had a rough week. Sorry for bothering you all…” Rogue apologized, putting on a mask of concurrence. “I’ll be heading out now. Thanks for taking care of me.”

“It’s no problem…” Meredy told him.

“Oh, before you go,” Ultear stopped him before he left. Rogue paused in the doorway, turning his head. “I think Sting is just going through this ‘phase.’ Everyone goes through it at one point in their life. They don’t really act like themselves, and may do things that they don’t normally do. I think that’s what’s been going on.”

Rogue nodded, his lips pressing together firmly. He may have agreed on the outside, but on the inside, he knew something was wrong. 

Even if he was alone on this, he’d find out who was behind it all. He swore on it. 

* * *

 

To say that Rogue was shocked when he returned to the guild hall might’ve been an understatement.

The entire guild hall looked like it had been hit by some sort of natural disaster, except, well, not so natural. There were beer bottles everywhere, strips of toilet paper hanging from the ceiling and chandelier (only God knows how that could’ve happened), and food crumbs and wrappers scattered across the floor. 

“Rogue! There you are!” his favorite voice called out to him, causing Rogue to turn his head. He didn’t get to respond when he felt welcoming arms wrap around his neck, pulling him into a hug. “I missed you.”

“I…I missed you too…” Rogue said back, wrapping his arms around Sting’s upper body. “You had me so worried. Are you okay? I-I’m sorry I just left you alone like that.”

After seeing Sting innocently nod his head, Rogue wondered if he really _was_ overthinking things. Maybe Ultear was right. The events that took place earlier might’ve just been Sting going through a phase, like she said.

“Look, I made this for you!” Sting exclaimed, pulling out a decorated frame. It was a picture of him and Sting on their first date. Sting had painted the frame black and white, and Rogue chuckled at his overuse of glitter. On the back, it read, _‘To: My precious shadow, my other half, and the one who completes me. From: The light of your life, Sting.’_

“Sting…this is beautiful…” Rogue whispered, nearly moved to tears. “Is…today some special occasion?” He glanced around the room once more, wondering how it could’ve gotten so messy in such a short amount of time.

“You could say that,” Sting smiled, grabbing Rogue’s hand. “Where’ve you been, by the way? I’ve been searching for you for hours.”

“You…you were?” Rogue asked, eyebrow raising.

“Of course. Why the hell wouldn’t I? I always need to make sure you’re okay, whether you like it or not.”

“I know,” Rogue said with a small smile. “You’re so overprotective.”

“You’re one to talk. And I’m only overprotective of you,” Sting said with a grin. “Well, the guild too, but more so you.”

“How am I overprotective?” Rogue questioned with a chuckle.

“Seriously? You don't even let me leave the house alone in my normal attire. You make me wear your shirts, and then you remind me all the time to look both ways before crossing the street. When we go out, you always hide me like you don’t want anyone else near me, unless you know for sure that they can be trusted. And that’s only some of many.”

“I-I suppose you’re right…” Rogue mumbled, flustered. “Does that bother you?”

“God, no. Sometimes it may get annoying, but if you weren’t always looking out for me, I might’ve hurt myself more times than one. And since you’re so insistent on looking out for me and not yourself, I’ve taken that as my job. Best job ever, if you ask me. Doesn’t require any forced feelings, it’s all natural.” 

Rogue smiled, now more confident about the fact that everything was okay. Angel and the whole PassionParfait mess probably was just another one of his nightmares. 

“Come on, you’re going to miss the party! Let’s have fun!” Sting cheered, dragging Rogue over to the snack table.

Perhaps there really wasn’t anything to worry about after all.

Or at least that’s what he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone on here and on tumblr who have been leaving reviews or likes. I appreciate every single one of you. ^,^


	5. A Wild Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the chapter title suggests, a party gone WILD!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was super excited writing this chapter, because this is where the intensity really begins :D huehue and this chapter has 3k+ words so I'm also happy about that!

“If you make me eat another piece of cake I’m gonna puke,” Rogue groaned, leaning against the back wall. His face was pale, and almost blue, purple, or even green. Unfortunately, Rogue wasn’t as good as handling large portions of food like Sting was.

“Well you’re no fun,” Sting teased, shoving a huge chunk of vanilla cake into his mouth. “This shit is amazing. Our lady’s such a good cook.”

“I’ll agree to that, but I don’t think eating ten pieces of cake is needed to prove that to be true,” Rogue mumbled, covering his mouth. “If I ever eat another slice of cake again… it’ll be too soon.”

“More for me then,” Sting grinned, grabbing Rogue’s share of chocolate cake. He didn’t even care that it wasn’t his usual preference of ‘I-only-eat-vanilla-flavored-things.’ He gulped it down and finished it in ten seconds, rubbing his full belly afterwards with a happy sigh. 

“I don’t understand how you do it,” Rogue said, pushing himself off the wall and recomposing himself. “What are you, a cow? Seriously, how big is your stomach?”

“About as big as my appetite,” Sting chuckled, wrapping an arm around the shadow dragon slayer. 

“You better not have gained any more weight. It took me nearly a year to get you back into shape after that eating contest we had. Please don’t make me go through that again,” Rogue sighed, remembering all the hours of training and exercise he had to be in charge of. 

“Hey, at least you didn’t have to run on the treadmill for three hours a day! Or lift weights until your arms broke off!” 

“Well I’m not the one who stuffed myself and didn’t bother burning off those calories afterwards,” Rogue smirked, building up his smug manner.

“Fuck you,” Sting pouted, pulling Rogue closer. Their cheeks were now pressed against each other’s, leaving little to no space in between them.

“You may do that later,” Rogue whispered, turning slightly red. Sometimes he didn’t know where he got these randoms spurts of confidence from. Perhaps it was due to him hanging around Sting so often. It’d only be natural that he picked up on some of his quirks.

Sting’s eyebrows went up suggestively, a sinister smirk plastered on his face. “How about we ditch the party and go right now~?”

“Shut up, idiot! The way you worded that makes you sound like a creeper,” Rogue laughed, shoving Sting’s face away from his. While touching his face, he took the time to wipe off stray crumbs that were left behind on the corners of his mouth. 

“That tickles,” Sting squealed, his face tingling from the sensation. “But it also feels good.”

“You weirdo,” Rogue sighed with a smile as he brushed off the last crumb. His ruby eyes remained fixed on Sting’s lips, watching them with careful precision. His face subconsciously reddened, causing Sting to smirk. 

“W-what’s with that look?” Rogue asked, suddenly flustered. 

“I’ll show you,” Sting whispered huskily, leaning down and closing his eyes.

Before Rogue could react, he felt soft lips capture his own. In that very moment, all of his worries washed out of him. Every ounce of doubt was swept away like a tide. This was the Sting he’d fallen in love with for years. The one he trusted with his life. The one he’d sacrifice his own life for.

Rogue was getting caught up in the moment. He craved this feeling, and nearly felt tears come to his eyes at the thought of it. He believed that he had lost Sting forever to some unimaginable dark force, and he was so scared, but this one, simple act of affection was all he needed to bring him back to his feet. 

He didn’t want to break away, and Sting didn’t look like he wanted to either. 

Unfortunately, the chair that was thrown at them thought otherwise.

“What the hell?!” Sting shrieked, sitting up from the position he was in. The flying chair had knocked him and Rogue both to the ground, causing them to fall apart and collapse onto the floor.

“Sorry!” One of their guild members called, sweating nervously. 

“What’re you throwing chairs for?” Sabertooth’s master grumbled, rubbing his sore head and shoulder. 

“Musical chairs gone wild,” Dobengal shrugged. “This is why I choose not to play that game.”

“WHAT? YOU GUYS PLAYED MUSICAL CHAIRS WITHOUT ME?” Sting cried dramatically. “Start over, assholes! I’m playing now!”

“Sting, wait-“ Rogue called, reaching up to grab his arm. Sting ended up grabbing his arm instead as he dragged him over to the middle hall. 

Groans chorused around the room as the sound of chairs scraping against the hardwood floor filled the room. In a matter of seconds, all the chairs were reset in their circular formation, and Orga begrudgingly restarted the soundtrack. 

“Isn’t this a little childish?” Rogue sighed as Sting pulled him over to their position around the circle of chairs. Sting’s happy grin made him sigh once more. “Oh right, but then again, so are you.”

Sting nodded enthusiastically, and Rogue couldn’t help but to smile. The music began shortly after everyone got into position. They walked forward, making sure not to step out of line. Their eyes locked intently on each chair they walked past, everyone eager to not strike out. 

Sting had strictly created a “no touching the chairs as you go” rule because he had lost in the first round every time people did that, plus he just thought it was simply unfair. It proved to be working in his favor.

After a couple of seconds of watching the others walk around, Orga stopped the music. Everyone leapt onto the chairs, nearly falling over in the process. 

Sting shut his eyes, hoping that nobody would shove him off. As soon as he opened them again, he was relieved to find out that he successfully claimed a chair. He wore a smug expression on his face, but it immediately dropped the second he saw Rogue standing off to the side, leaning against the back wall.

“Rogue!” Sting called, eyes widening. “You’re out?”

Rogue shrugged in response, not really caring. He wasn’t interested in this death match of who would get the chair first.

“That’s…unacceptable!” Sting shrieked, standing up abruptly from his seat. “I call a restart!”

“No, Sting, let them keep playing,” Rogue countered, annoyed. Was he seriously doing this now?

“He doesn’t want to play, leave him alone,” someone grumbled in the process of removing a chair.

That really set Sting off.

“Don’t you fucking dare tell me what I can and can’t do or say! He’s _MINE._ I do what I want, bastard!” Sting yelled, clenching his fists in anger. “I KNOW HIM BETTER THAN ALL OF YOU! SO SHUT THE HELL UP!” He picked up the chair he was sitting on and violently threw it behind him, just barely missing Minerva’s head. 

Everyone tensed up from his outburst, and also because of the fact that Minerva was shooting them a death glare.

“Sting, calm down!” Rogue yelled over his boyfriend’s yelling and endless string of insults. He was so startled by the sudden action that he didn’t even think about why it might’ve happened.

Sting ignored Rogue’s plea and continued shouting. “Let Rogue play before I-“

“Alright, enough!” Minerva interrupted, pissed off that she nearly got her head ripped off. The room went silent immediately, save for Sting’s low growling. “Just restart the damn game.” She gave the white dragon slayer a strict look. “And this is your last chance. After this, we’re continuing the game, whether you like it or not.”

“Tch, whatever,” Sting resigned, bringing back the chair he’d thrown. He resentfully shoved it back into place before taking Rogue’s hand and walking him over to their original spot. 

Rogue decided to remain silent, as he now realized that everything was unpredictable. Taking risks now wasn’t a wise choice.

Nobody dared to say anything, so the only sound that filled the room was that of the music. Orga let it play longer than usual, not ready to welcome the awkward silence. 

Rogue was behind Sting, and he couldn’t stop giving him worried glances. He wondered if Sting was acting up because of all the cake he had. Was that even a valid reason to get angry? He had no idea.

Sting refused to let go of his hand, so even now as they were walking, he held it tightly as if it was his lifeline. 

Rogue prayed that the music wouldn’t stop, because he didn’t know what to do when it did. If he didn’t get a spot, Sting would probably lose his temper again. Rogue sighed, wishing he had just stayed in the hospital for a little longer. All of this nonsense was putting an unnecessary strain on him.

The music stopped after a good two minutes, causing Rogue to flinch. Luckily, he managed to get a seat. He breathed out a sigh of relief before scanning the room to see who was left out. He spotted Dhoot, one of their less acknowledged guild members, as the only one left standing. Dhoot shrugged, and from the look on his face, Rogue could tell that he gave up on purpose. He mentally said a _Thank You_ as he watched Dhoot take his place by Dobengal’s side. The two of them watched the rest of the game in silence, occasionally whispering side comments to each other amidst the noise. 

The rest of the game only got more awkward. Rogue just wanted to go home and escape the social wreck he was forced to be a part of. At least one person each round gave up on purpose just so they wouldn’t have to see Sting lash out again. When there were about ten people left, Orga gave up and turned off the music player, not wanting to deal with this mess anymore. 

Everyone’s eyes averted to Sting, checking to see how he’d react. Surprisingly, it didn’t really bother him. He shrugged and walked off, as if nothing was wrong or offset in the first place.

Rogue pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Did Sting really just act up a few minutes ago for attention? And why was it so hard for him to understand his behavior all of a sudden? Rogue knew everything about Sting from the bottom of his heart, but now nothing made sense to him. Perhaps it was due to his lack of coffee this morning.

Nonetheless, Rogue was still concerned. When Sting least expected it, he pulled him over to the back corner and pushed him against the wall - not too harshly - and released a huff of breath. “Care to explain?”

Sting raised his scarred eyebrow, tilting his head sideways. “Hmm?”

“Seriously? What was that childish behavior just now? Is that how you’re going to act in public?” Rogue inquired, not accepting Sting’s clear avoidance of the question.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sting waved off. “And why are you punishing me? What are you, my mom?”

“This isn’t the time for jokes,” Rogue hissed. “You just interrupted the game and made it worse.”

“I just wanted you to play,” Sting pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. “Is that so wrong?”

Rogue felt his built up frustration fade away a bit. “No, but what was wrong is that you forced me to play when I didn’t want to, and when it was unfair. And the rest of the game wasn’t fun at all. Didn’t you feel any of that?”

“I thought people were just scared to lose,” Sting answered.

“It’s not the end of the world if they do,” Rogue sighed. “They were afraid to play freely because you nearly hit Lady Minerva right in the face when I lost. You’re lucky you missed, otherwise she might’ve killed you instead.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Sting wondered, feeling jittery.

“Just because I don’t want you to do that again. I understand that you wanted me to play with you, but,” Rogue paused, realizing he really did sound like a parent, before continuing, “…making others feel bad about it isn’t the way to go. You’re Sabertooth’s guild master. It’s your responsibility to take care of everyone and make sure they’re happy.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right…” Sting mumbled, letting his head fall onto Rogue’s shoulder. “Guess I just had a rough day.”

Rogue’s expression softened as he wrapped his arms around Sting, rubbing his back soothingly. “Do you want to go relax? I’ve actually been dying to finish my novel… We can sit by the fireplace and you can go get yourself a snack and play a video game if you want. How does that sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” Sting smiled, nuzzling into Rogue’s neck. “God, I love you so much.”

Rogue felt a light blush creep onto his cheeks. “I love you too. Now let’s go.”

Sting lifted his head off of Rogue’s shoulder and allowed himself to be guided back into the main hall. As Rogue went to go retrieve his novel, Sting made them each a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and then went to go get his PS Vita. He brought along his favorite game, and then met back up with Rogue at the fireplace. The two of them leaned against the pillows they set up after settling down into the plush rug. They tucked themselves into a blanket and let out a synchronized, content, sigh. 

Rogue cracked open his book and turned to the page he was left off on. He instantly began reading, his passionate ruby eyes never leaving the page. Sting smiled at his fervor and leaned against him, setting up his game as he took a sip of hot chocolate.

Minerva watched the two dragon slayers from the corner of her eye with a smile. She was glad that Rogue was able to calm Sting down, and that they were now getting time to themselves. The rest of the party did go on, but Sting and Rogue were in their own little world now, and that was peaceful for both them and everyone else. 

After Minerva had helped herself to some food, she turned her attention back to the twin dragons. Sting was now fast asleep on Rogue’s shoulder, a small trail of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth and his video game hanging limp in his hand. Rogue didn’t even seem to notice; he was so absorbed into his book that it was as if he was in his own time and space. 

Seeing them together made her wish Yukino was there with her. She and Rufus and gone off on an important mission though, so she didn’t have anyone to talk to. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying some other crazy game, one that she didn’t have interest in joining. She stuffed some food into her mouth, hoping she could pass the time just by eating.

As if God heard her wish, Yukino’s sweet voice echoed through the guild as the doors opened. Minerva’s expression lit up immediately, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. 

“Yukino, welcome back,” Minerva greeted, trying to hide her overexcitement. “How was the mission?”

“It went great!” Yukino answered with a smile. “Rufus and I took care of everything, and we got a lot of jewel!”

“That’s amazing, well done!” Minerva congratulated, impressed at the immense amount of money Yukino had laid out in front of her. She helped the celestial mage with her bags before returning to the snack table. “You almost missed the party. Here, have some.” She handed a plate of food to Yukino, who took it without hesitation.

“Thank you, Minerva-sama! I was starving!” Yukino said as she took a bite of a sandwich. Her cheeks instantly flushed and her smile widened as she swallowed the bite. “Wow, this is amazing as always!”

“Thank you, you’re very kind,” Minerva responded bashfully. “I spent a lot of time making it.”

Yukino finished off what was in the plate and quickly wiped her mouth, feeling a bit embarrassed. “So, um, where are Sting-sama and Rogue-sama?”

“Over there.” Minerva pointed towards the fireplace.

Yukino turned her head towards where she was pointing. “Aww, they’re so adorable.”

Minerva nodded. She hoped she and Yukino could spend some time like that as well. “So Yukino, would you like to-“

She was cut off when she heard Rogue pump his fist in the air, holding his book high above his head. 

“I DID IT! I FINISHED THE BOOK!” he announced proudly with twinkling eyes. 

“Yay, good job, Rogue-sama!” Yukino cheered as she walked up to him.

“Oh, Yukino, you’re back,” Rogue greeted as she approached him. 

Sting’s ear twitched at the sound of Rogue’s voice.

“Yup! Looks like I missed the party,” she giggled as she looked around. 

“Yeah, but it’s not over yet,” Rogue assured. “Did your job go well?”

“Of course!” Yukino answered. 

Twitch, twitch.

“That’s always good to know. I’m sure Sting will be happy to find out when he wakes up,” Rogue said, just taking notice that he had fallen asleep on his shoulder. “How’s Rufus?”

“He told me he had something to take care of. He said he’d be right back.”

“I see.”

Twitch, twitch. One of Sting's eyes lazily opened, but his vision was slightly blurry.

Minerva watched impatiently from the snack table, hoping Yukino would return soon. After all, she’d been waiting all day for her return, so it made her antsy at the fact that she was talking to Rogue instead of her at the moment. She forced herself to be patient when unanticipatedly, an eerie sensation came over her. Something in the atmosphere suddenly felt off. She could sense it. But where was it coming from?

Yukino placed a hand on Rogue’s shoulder, giving him a sweet smile. “Have fun. I’ll talk to you and Sting-sama later.”

The twitching turned into a sudden click.

To say what happened after that, I’m afraid it hurts even me to tell you. Let me try to explain it in a fair way.

Everything went in slow motion. Or at least that’s what it felt like. Minerva’s eyes widening. Her space magic readying in her hands, but not making it in time. Rufus just stepping into the room with Orga right behind him. Rogue’s eyes widening, his book dropping to the floor. The rest of the guild members turning towards their guild master, gasping in shock.

For one, single motion, struck right at a vital organ, sent the celestial mage flying back against the wall.

The cracking sounds were unpleasant.

The screams were unpleasant.

The horrified gasps were unpleasant.

But what was most unpleasant was this.

The enormous, mass of thick, red blood.

Splattered everywhere, as far as the eye could see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun dunnnnn


	6. A Difficult Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **RECAP**
> 
> Sting and Rogue were at the mall and Sting discovered a new item called Passion Parfaits. He bought a lot of them and got addicted when they went to their favorite ice-cream store, Cream Sorcière. When they ordered, they found out that Meredy, Jellal, and Ultear, the usual workers, weren't there. Rather, there was a group of new teens, the main one known as Angel. Sting starts acting different ever since he ran into her and Rogue becomes worried and suspicious. However, when he goes back, he finds out that this "Angel" person never existed. After a short stay at the hospital, he returns to the guild and discovers Sting has thrown a party. He uses that as an opportunity to relax and think things through. Then, all of a sudden, when he believed all was well, Sting attacks Yukino out of nowhere and sends her flying into the wall. Blood splatters everywhere, everyone is left in shock, and Rogue is left paralyzed, unsure of what in the world is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late update!! It's been months and I apologize, so I hope the recap in the summary helped out! Hope you enjoy this chapter!!
> 
> Btw, this is a gift for my dear friend @purpleddragon, because today is (was) her birthday!!! ♡

“Yukino!” Minerva cried, her trembling hand reaching out in a hopeless manner only after she realized it was too late. 

Everyone in the guild stood frozen as they laid eyes on their celestial mage, who after being violently thrusted at the wall, slid down to the floor and landed in a continuously spreading pool of her own blood. Red streaked the wall behind her, leaving dark stains.

To say that Minerva was angry would be an understatement. As her guild mates quickly rushed towards Yukino, Minerva turned around to face Sting, and without even the slightest hesitation, punched him across the face, _hard_. He would’ve gone flying if Rogue wasn’t holding onto him so tightly in fear.

“What the hell is wrong with you, bastard?!” Minerva screamed, raising her voice, “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YUKINO?!”

Sting readjusted himself as if Minerva’s punch was nothing but a light touch to his cheek. “She was getting too close to _my_ Rogue.”

“Excuse me?!” Minerva went in for another punch, but Orga grabbed her wrist, restraining her.

“My lady, please calm down, this isn’t how we should deal with this—“ he began, but was cut off when Minerva violently jerked her hand away.

“You nearly killed her!” she continued, rolling up the sleeve of her dress as she readied another punch. However, before she could land a blow, Rogue stood in front of Sting protectively, holding his arms out. Minerva scowled, ready to push him out of the way. “Move, idiot! I have to deal with him—“

“No, stop,” Rogue said weakly, his voice trembling. His knees shook suddenly, and he felt as though he might collapse any second. “Don’t hurt him.”

“You’re gonna forgive him? After what he just did?!”

“Calm down,” Rufus interjected. “There has to be a logical explanation.”

“I don’t care what kind of explanation he gives me, what he just did is unforgivable!” Minerva yelled, tears filling her eyes, threatening to spill out.

“Go help her,” Orga urged, trying to distract her from Sting. “She needs you.”

Minerva stopped, her heart beating quickly in her throat. After glaring at Orga for a couple of seconds, she angrily turned around in defeat, rushing towards Yukino and pushing everyone aside. She knelt down beside her, pressing the side of her face to Yukino’s chest. She didn’t hear anything, and she felt sick to her stomach.

“Is Yukino-san going to be—“ one of their guild mates began.

“Be quiet,” Minerva hissed. Her eyebrows knitted in fear and confusion as she pleaded for Yukino to be alive. It took a couple more seconds, but finally, when she heard a single heartbeat, she let out a breath of relief.

“Will she be okay?” Dobengal asked, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

“She should be fine if we get her to the hospital as soon as possible,” Minerva said in a calm but urgent tone. “I’ll transport her there with my space magic. I need some help, so I need a few of you to come along.”

A few of the guild members nodded, stepping forward. Carefully, Minerva picked Yukino up, not wasting even a second as she teleported the select few of people including herself and Yukino to the nearest hospital. Before she disappeared into thin air, she glanced at Sting one last time, giving him a threatening, impulsive glare filled with pure hatred. Once they were out of sight, Rufus and Orga turned to Sting and Rogue, giving them an angry but confused stare. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Rufus questioned, crossing his arms across his chest.

“I-I can explain, I think,” Rogue swallowed, pushing Sting behind him.

Sting shook his head, pushing Rogue aside as he stood back up in the front. “I got rid of her because she was getting too close to Rogue. Did you not hear me before? Are you deaf or something?” Sting spit, nearly bashing his forehead against Rufus’s.

“What the—?” Orga began, startled. “Okay, I know Sting can be an asshole sometimes, but that went too far.”

“If you’d let me speak…” Rogue choked out, holding Sting’s arm. His expression looked mortified, but he was trying his best to remain strong.

Sting looked at him, an annoyed look still etched into his expression. “There’s nothing else to explain, Rogue. Come on, let’s go home. I’m tired.”

“Don’t you even care?” Rufus pressed. “You just severely injured one of your comrades, and you’re walking away as if it were mere child’s play?”

“I only care about Rogue,” Sting shot back, grabbing Rogue by the sleeve. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have things to attend to. C’mon, Rogue.”

“Sting, wait.” Rogue shivered, pulling away from him. “Give me a chance to explain.”

Sting gave him a disapproving look. He made a _tch!_ sound and continued out the door, and Rogue let out a frustrated sigh. He watched as Sting stood on the right side of the doorway, leaning into the back wall with his arms across his chest.

Rogue swallowed, facing Orga and Rufus with tears in his eyes. “I don’t know…what’s wrong with him…but he’s been acting so different lately…”

“Do you know what might’ve caused this?” Rufus asked, eyebrows knitted in thought.

Rogue nodded weakly. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure if it’s logical.”

“Anything will help,” Rufus said, and Orga nodded, “Tell us anything you know.”

Rogue took a deep breath. “Sting and I…we went to our favorite ice-cream store the other day, and we met this new lady named Angel. I didn’t trust her at all during our first encounter, and I knew I should’ve stayed away that day. Because as soon as we left the mall, Sting started acting completely different. He didn’t remember a lot of important events, he nearly…k-killed me, he j-just didn’t act like his usual self. I thought that Angel lady cast some sort of spell on him, so I went to go confront her, but when I got there, she was gone. I asked Meredy and the others where she went, and they said sh-she never existed. I was confused…and had no idea what to do. I ended up in the hospital, and Ultear told me that it was just a phase he’s going through. I almost believed her, because as soon as I returned to the guild, Sting was acting fine. And then now…he does this…I…I don’t know what to do…” he rambled on before his knees finally gave in. He fell to the floor, shaking violently. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…I couldn’t help him…I’m…so…sorry…”

“Hey— Rogue! Are you okay?!” Orga shouted, ignoring his cries as he reached out to help him. However, Rufus held him back as Sting rushed inside at the speed of light, lifting Rogue into his arms. Rogue’s face had gone paler than usual, almost transparent, and Sting could nearly see his own reflection in it.

He turned to face Rufus and Orga, shooting them a disgusted, vile look. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing! He just panicked and collapsed! Now let us help him before—“ Orga began.

“Hell no, stay the the hell away from Rogue,” Sting hissed. “I’ll take care of him myself.”

“Do you even know how?” Rufus questioned, his expression shifting from curiosity into concern.

“Of course I do. Rogue is my boyfriend and my best friend. Just go read a book or something, this is none of your goddamn business,” Sting fired, storming out of the guild hall with an unconscious Rogue in his arms.

Rufus and Orga shared a worried glance while the rest of the guild members began cleaning the blood off of the walls. Whatever was going on, they sure hoped that it would end soon.

Because nothing was more chaotic or scarier than seeing their master act out in such a way to the point where he would severely injure one of his own guild mates. It frightened all of them, made them question their own safety, and even caused them to have trust issues.

The guild had spent so much time finally coming together, and now, slowly, they were falling back apart.

Only time would tell when and if everything would go back to normal.

 

* * *

 

When Rogue regained consciousness an hour or so later, he found himself in a soft, oddly familiar bed. As his eyes fluttered open, he saw blurs of yellow, red, and blue. Sting came into view when his vision cleared, his blond hair messy and unbrushed, his sapphire eyes fixated on the wall in front of him. Rogue tried to sit up, but all he felt was an excruciating pain in his head, causing him to let out a groan.

“Rogue, you're awake!” Sting exclaimed, turning to face him. “You okay?”

“Sort of…” Rogue mumbled, laying back down on the pillow. He felt a warm, damp feeling on his forehead and realized that Sting had put a towel there. He sighed, closing his eyes once more. “Is this your house?”

“Uh-huh,” Sting said, scooting closer to Rogue. “Do you need me to bring you anything? Water, maybe?”

Rogue nodded slowly, careful not to move his head too much. “Please.”

Sting stood up immediately and reached across to the nightstand, where a fresh glass of water was set and ready to go. He grabbed it with one hand and used his other hand to slowly help Rogue sit upright before handing him the glass. “Drink up.”

“Help,” Rogue coughed. He couldn’t move his arms for some reason, so Sting slowly held the glass to his lips and tilted it ever so slightly as he took sips. Once Rogue downed all the water, Sting stood up and set the empty glass aside, and then brushed loose strands of hair out of Rogue’s eyes. 

“Did you…” Sting began slowly, clearing his throat. “have a panic attack?”

“At this point, I’m not really sure,” Rogue mumbled, shifting his position uncomfortably. Sting was about to answer, but Rogue stopped him. “Sting, we need to talk.”

Sting plopped down on the bed like a little kid, leaning backwards. “About what?” He began swinging his legs back and forth, seemingly lost in his own world. Rogue frowned at him.

“Have you checked on Yukino yet?” he questioned, watching Sting blearily.

“No, why would I want to check on that _bitch?”_ Sting hissed.

“Sting!” Rogue scolded, mouth open slightly in shock. “She isn’t a—“

“You’re defending her, Rogue?” Sting was suddenly on his feet again as he turned around, eyes sharp with a deadly glare. Rogue swallowed the lump in his throat as a bad feeling washed over him. “You’re betraying me?!”

“Sting, calm down,” Rogue hushed in an urgent whisper, recalling what happened last time Sting’s mood changed.

“You have the nerve to defend her when she was talking to you, stealing all your attention, and even _touching_ you—“

“Sting, please stop,” Rogue pleaded, a pool of sweat from heat and fear forming on the pillow beneath his head. 

Sting’s rage only increased, but when he saw the tears pooling in Rogue’s delicate eyes, he felt something inside him, like a stab through the chest. It was a sudden hit of realization, forcing him to tone his actions down a little. He blinked twice, giving Rogue a once-over, and immediately felt guilt wash over him.

“Rogue…I…what happened?” Sting said slowly, as if he wasn’t sure about what he was saying. His mind suddenly became foggy and unclear.

“Sting, my love, there’s something…something wrong with you…” Rogue said forcefully, like the words themselves were poison. It pained him to say it, but he knew he had to open up this area of discussion sooner or later before things went too far— well, even farther than they already had. 

“H..huh?” Sting fell back down on the bed, holding his head in pain. Rogue pushed himself forward, despite the own pain thrumming in his head, and embraced Sting tightly, placing soft, delicate kisses on his forehead. 

“You’ve been acting so strangely,” Rogue whispered, letting his tears flow down his cheeks. “It’s…it’s making me worried.”

“Strange, how, Rogue?” Sting asked with a slight tremble in his voice as he slowly reached up to wipe Rogue’s tears away. 

“You brutally attacked Yukino, you’re getting too possessive, your mood keeps switching from innocent and happy to scary and angry,” Rogue said, trying his best to hide the sadness in his voice. 

Sting suddenly felt sick to his stomach. “I seriously did that?” He leaned into Rogue’s chest, nuzzling into it as he closed his eyes tightly. “What’s happening to me, Rogue? I don’t remember any of that…I…I feel so dizzy…”

“I want to help you so badly, but I don’t know how…” Rogue pulled Sting closer, burying his head in Sting’s soft blond locks. “I don’t want to lose you. I’m going to do everything I can to turn you back to normal.”

Sting nodded, and Rogue could tell from the dampness of his own shirt that Sting had been quietly crying. He felt a twinge in his heart as he rubbed his boyfriend’s back slowly, trying his best to soothe him.

The two of them sat like that for a couple of minutes, nearly an hour, when suddenly, something hit Rogue. Not literally. A realization, the answer, came to his mind so unexpectedly that he almost didn’t believe it. However, it would be a lie if he said he liked what the solution was. He mentally called himself stupid for not thinking of it earlier as he slowly pushed Sting off of him.

“That’s it…” he whispered mainly to himself. “I know…I know why you’ve been acting this way!”

“Y-you do?!” Sting exclaimed, eyes widening. “Wow, Rogue, you’re so smart, no wonder—“ He paused, giving Rogue a weird look as he watched him slowly get out of bed, a forceful smile plastered onto his pale face. Rogue looked hurt for some reason, and Sting didn’t understand why. “Rogue?”

Rogue ignored him, grabbing all his things and stuffing them into a backpack. He was glad he had some of his stuff over at Sting’s house, like clothes, toiletries, and pillows. Sting noticed that he looked a bit hesitant as he was shoving everything into his bag, but he was in a rush for whatever reason, and Sting was left clueless.

“Um, Rogue? What are you doing?” he questioned, watching as Rogue hurriedly packed up as if he were in a race against time. 

“Sting,” Rogue said with a sigh. Sting could tell he was trying to sound happy, but he could practically feel the pain in his heart. Sting’s own heart started beating a mile a minute, afraid of what he was about to say. “I know what I can do to help you.”

“What…?” Sting looked at him intently, suddenly feeling nervous. He felt as he were going to throw up any second now. He didn’t even know why, because if Rogue had a solution, why would that be a bad thing? His senses were telling him that something was off though, that he wasn’t ready to hear what Rogue was about to say next.

“Take care of yourself,” Rogue forced out, giving him a sad smile. 

“Wh-what?”

It took a minute for Sting’s mind to process what was going on, but when he realized it, it was already too late. As he scrambled to the front door with tears in his eyes, reaching out to grab a bit of Rogue’s cape, he had already disappeared into the shadows, a tiny piece of his cape slipping through Sting’s gloved fingers, leaving not a single trace behind.

The only thing left behind was Sting. As a confused, lonely and heartbroken mess. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the angst ;w;


	7. Uncovering the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minerva and Yukino hunt for the truth behind Rogue's disappearance and Sting's odd behavior, and what they find out is something they never could've imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back with an update! I made this chapter twice as long as usual, so I hope you enjoy!

It had been four months since Rogue left Sting.

It was a tough choice, really, but to be honest, there was no other option. Rogue knew that he had to separate himself from Sting as soon as he figured out the root cause behind Sting’s odd behavior.

He knew things were hard on Sting’s end, but things were _definitely_ not easy on his end either. He just hoped that the rest of his guild members were safe now, doing better now that he was gone.  And most of all, he hoped Sting was better now as well.

* * *

✧ Two Months Earlier ✧

Yukino Aguria laid still in her hospital bed, the steady thrum of the monitor beside her being the only sound filling the room. It was deathly quiet; not a single bird was chirping outside, the infirmary had no new patients, and all the doctors were out on lunch break.

To put it lightly, she felt lonely and cold in the small room, but at least the pain from the incident two months before had finally started to fade. 

Thoughts filled her mind, memories of the day when her own guildmate, her _guildmaster_ , unexpectedly attacked her and left her in critical condition. She shuddered as she remembered the pain, the blood rapidly leaking out of her delicate body, and then watching through blurred vision how her guildmates circled around her to make sure she wasn’t, well, _dead_. She also remembered the warmth of Minerva’s hands around her, the feel of her space magic, the way she was so worried about her…

“Yukino?” a voice called, causing her to snap out of her thoughts. 

Yukino craned her neck sideways, watching the familiar person enter her room, just like she had every day. Or at least, it _used to be_ every day, but the visits had been cut to only once every week or two lately. Yukino didn’t mind really; she didn’t want someone to check on her so often and use so much of their time, but she had missed the company. “Minerva-sama?”

Minerva nodded, walking up to her. She placed a hand on her bed, right beside her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thank you,” Yukino answered with a smile.

“Sorry I haven’t been visiting as much,” Minerva said, and the tone in her voice made Yukino worried. Minerva paused for a moment, staring at a spot on the floor as if pondering something, and Yukino raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s okay, you know. You deserve a break too,” Yukino said, slowly moving her hand and placing it on top of Minerva’s. “How’s the guild doing, by the way?” She saw Minerva shrink at that, and Yukino was about to say something but Minerva spoke first.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

She lowered her voice when she said that, and Yukino could just barely make out what she had said. A chill ran through her spine, and she was almost afraid to ask, but curiosity overpowered her. “W-What is it?”

“It’s about the guild and what’s been going on,” she explained, her lips curling into a frown.

“Oh no, is something wrong?” Yukino asked, nearly sitting up in surprise.

“It’s…Sting,” she said carefully, as if his name were a curse. Yukino swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s been so chaotic lately…and I can’t deal with it alone. I’ve been spending so much time trying to keep things under control but even I cannot complete such a task.” She stopped, he expression now looking a lot more strained.

Yukino could tell she wanted to say something more, but was reluctant for whatever reason. “What’s going on with Sting-sama?” she asked with genuine concern.

“You shouldn’t worry about that bastard after what he did to you,” Minerva said suddenly before she could stop herself.

Yukino smiled sadly. “I know he didn’t do it on purpose, or at least when he did it, he wasn’t being himself. I fear something is very wrong with him, perhaps he is under a spell of some sort?”

Minerva shook her head and let out a sigh. “I don’t know, but ever since Rogue left us—”

“Wait, Rogue-sama left Sabertooth?!” Yukino interrupted. She did sit up now, her brown eyes wide in shock. “When? Why?”

“I have no idea,” Minerva replied sadly. “One day, around two months ago, he just vanished. Nobody’s heard from him or knows where he is, not even Sting.”

“Didn’t Sting-sama try to look for him?” Yukino asked, not caring about the pain in her abdomen.

“I think he did for a few days, but he gave up after,” Minerva said.

“That’s not…that’s not like him at all!” Yukino cried. The line on the heart rate monitor began moving faster, the points rising and falling rapidly. “Sting-sama would never stop looking for Rogue-sama…he loves him too much for that! He’d keep looking no matter what, no matter how many days it took!”

“That’s what I thought too, but remember he’s different now.”

Yukino leaned against the back of the bed, a frown etched into her expression. “This can’t be…”

“We’ve been trying to find clues pertaining to his odd behavior, but we haven’t been able to figure anything out. All we have is one clue that Rogue left behind before his disappearance,” Minerva explained, drumming her fingers on the bed.

“What is it?” Yukino asked.

“Orga and Rufus told me that Rogue told them something after I had brought you here. He said something about a time when he and Sting went to their favorite ice-cream store, the one called Cream Sorcière, and met some lady named Angel. Apparently, it was when the two had left the place that Sting started acting differently. Rogue got suspicious and went to confront her, but when he went back, it seems as if this Angel person never existed.”

“This is all so strange,” Yukino said quietly, curling her hands into fists. “Something isn’t right here.”

Minerva nodded. “I agree with you. Which is why I really want to find out who or what is behind this, but I haven’t been able to do much because I’ve been keeping an eye on Sting and his insane behavior.”

“Is there anything besides the drive for destruction that you’ve noticed?” Yukino asked.

Minerva thought about it for a second, and then her eyes widened slightly. “Oh yes, now that I think about it. He’s been going out at the same time every day to some alley outside of town. I thought he was going out to look for Rogue, but apparently he’s seeing some girl. That’s what I’ve heard, at least.” She bit her lip, almost unable to believe the words coming out of her mouth.

“No way…” Yukino mumbled. “Sting-sama wouldn’t cheat on Rogue-sama! Not even in a state like this!”

“I’m only telling you what I know. It’s just too much for all of us…” Minerva said quietly, and Yukino could see tears brimming in her bloodshot eyes.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of this!” Yukino announced, pushing herself off the bed. 

Minerva panicked, rushing to her side. “Yukino, you shouldn’t be standing!”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, grabbing her crutches and leaning against the side of the bed. “I actually have a lead too.”

Minerva was shocked. “Y-you do?” 

Yukino nodded. “I didn’t know if this would be important, but it sounded suspicious enough. The doctors were talking about some gang that's been hanging around the area lately, and they were warning everyone entering the hospital to be careful.”

“What does this gang have to do with Sting and Rogue?” Minerva wondered.

“Well, they said one person stood out from the others. She was the only female of the group, and they described her to have an angelic appearance. Ring any bells?”

“You mean…you think this could be Angel?!” Minerva blurt out.

Yukino nodded. “We must find them as soon as possible. I believe they have all the answers.”

“But where will we find them? Rogue said they didn’t exist…”

“And now we know they do. I think our first stop should be the ice-cream store. Maybe those workers can be of assistance.”

Minerva thought about it. “You’re right, actually! I walked into Sting’s room the other day to check on him, and you want to know what I found?” Yukino looked at her, her eyes telling her to go on. “I found so many boxes of some ice-cream product from that place. They were called PassionParfaits or something.”

“How many boxes?” Yukino wondered. She knew Sting was a glutton for ice-cream, but the way Minerva exaggerated that factor may’ve been worth being concerned about.

“Around one hundred maybe? There could be more as well, but I haven’t seen them yet.”

Yukino’s eyes widened. “That’s crazy…even for Sting-sama…” 

“We better head over before the mall closes. You sure you don’t want to rest, Yukino?” She looked hesitant, but probably knew Yukino wouldn’t want to rest during a time like this. 

The celestial wizard shook her head. “I’m coming. I’m determined to save our guild master.”

Minerva smiled. “Sabertooth is really lucky to have you.”

Yukino returned her smile, and the two girls headed to Cream Sorcière, the drive for finding answers clear in their minds. 

* * *

“Hi, how can I help you?” Meredy greeted as two new customers, Yukino and Minerva, walked up to the store.

“We’d like one order of strawberry, one order of chocolate chip, and one order of some information regarding a woman named ‘Angel,’” Minerva stated bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Meredy blinked, and to Minerva’s surprise, she didn’t look startled or confused. “Who exactly are you, and why would you like to know?”

“We’re from Sabertooth,” Yukino said, showing them her guildmark. “We came because—”

“Of Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney?” another voice said, coming up behind Meredy.

“Ultear?” Meredy said in shock, moving aside.

“Yes,” Minerva said with nod, trying to hide the desperation in her voice. “So I’m assuming you know the two very well, right?”

“They’re both very close to me…” Meredy said softly. “I hate what has happened to them…”

“We want to know everything you can tell us,” Yukino demanded, but in a light tone. “Please. It’s important.”

“We understand. They’re your guildmates, so we will share what we have learned,” Ultear said.

“Thank you for understanding,” Minerva said with a relieved sigh. “But before you do, I just have one question.”

“Yes?” Ultear said.

“Rogue told us that when he came here, you guys stated that this ‘Angel’ person wasn’t real. So how come you know now?” Minerva wondered, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Ah, that’s the thing,” Ultear said, rubbing her forehead. Minerva eyed her suspiciously. “All of us had grown skeptical over everything that’s been happening, so we decided to do some research.”

“Using Ultear’s time magic, we found out that a group of villains had taken over our store and erased our memories!” Meredy exclaimed, but not too loudly.

“Your friends are in grave danger,” a man’s voice added, and everyone turned towards him. Jellal appeared out of the back room, wiping ice-cream off of his hands with a damp cloth.

“We know,” Yukino said with a pained glint flickering in her eyes.

“They added some new product to our menu without consent, something known as PassionParfaits. They’ve only sold it to one person though, and that’s Sting,” Jellal explained, setting the cloth down.

“What do these PassionParfaits have to do with it?” Minerva asked. “I thought Angel cast some sort of spell on Sting.”

“She couldn’t do that out in public, and with Rogue always by his side, she couldn’t do it anywhere else either,” Ultear said. “So they snuck some sort of serum into this dessert, and the more one eats them, the more influenced they become.”

Minerva and Yukino exchanged a worried glance, and Meredy caught onto it. “What’s wrong?” she asked. 

“He only ate a few, didn’t he?” Jellal said.

Minerva bit her lip, shaking her head. “In his room…we found at least a hundred boxes…”

The three of them gasped in horror, eyes widening. “That’s…”

“Please, you must help us find an antidote!” Yukino pleaded. 

Ultear shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we don’t know where you could get one.” She paused, contemplating something. “Actually…my best bet would be to go see them in person.”

“But…we don’t know where they are!” Yukino cried.

“But we do,” Meredy said. She handed her a small piece of paper with directions scribbled in red ink. “We’ve been keeping an eye on them and found out the location of their hideout.”

Yukino smiled in relief and took the paper gratefully.

“We were planning to confront them ourselves, but we can’t leave our shop. We’re busy disposing of all the serum that has leaked into our ice-cream,” Jellal said.

“We really appreciate the help,” Minerva said. “And I wish you luck with your shop. We’ll take care of things from here.”

“Are you certain? We may be of assistance—” Ultear began.

Minerva shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but we can take care of this ourselves. Matters have become urgent and we can’t afford to wait any longer. I apologize for the intrusion.”

“Then we wish you luck as well,” Jellal said. “Please be careful.”

“Wait, you can’t go alone!” Meredy exclaimed. “They’re a powerful gang, and only the two of you are going to go? And…the one with short hair looks injured!” She glanced at Yukino worriedly, and then at Ultear. “Are you really okay with this?!”

“I believe there is something important regarding you and this Angel,” Ultear said in a mysterious tone, eyeing Yukino. “I have a feeling you won’t be attacked, or at least not brutally.”

“What are you talking about?” Yukino asked.

“Don’t worry about it, you’ll know when you get there,” Ultear said, returning to the back of the room. 

“We should get going,” Minerva said hastily. “Let’s go, Yukino.”

“R-right,” Yukino said, following Minerva.

As she left the store, she couldn’t help but wonder what Ultear was referring to. It left a heavy weight in her heart, and she didn’t know whether to be afraid or exulted. Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn’t something sinister.

* * *

 “Where are those damn thugs…” Minerva hissed, entering an alleyway as she glanced at the paper every so often.

“The directions led us here, so where could they be?” Yukino whispered, sticking close to Minerva.

The two wizards walked through the dark alley carefully, keeping an eye out for any sign of Angel or any of her gang members. As they approached a small crack in the wall, a strange purple gas filled the air, causing them to become alarmed.

“Quick, cover your mouth!” Minerva yelled, shielding her mouth with her elbow. Yukino did the same, letting one of her crutches fall to the ground.

“These gruesome delinquents…” Minerva coughed. “Not such a warm welcome, is it?”

“Who do we have here?” said a man’s voice, causing Minerva and Yukino to look up. “Two girls, eh? What business do you have over here?”

Minerva held her breath and extended her arms, her space magic swirling in her palms. She quickly absorbed all of the gas and sent it away, allowing them to breathe easier. 

Yukino let out a gasp as she regained air before bending down to pick up her crutch. 

“To answer your question,” Minerva said, once all the gas was completely gone, “we are here because of what you and your little gang have done to our guildmates.”

“Guildmates? Don’t make me laugh. You two posers are part of a guild?” He chuckled vehemently, causing her to frown in disapproval.

“For your information, we are from the guild of Sabertooth, once known as the number one guild in Fiore,” Minerva said discreetly, eyeing the man in disgust.

“Saber, huh?” he said. “Oh, so you’re from that guild that the twin dragon slayers are from?”

Yukino stepped forward to say something, but Minerva held her arm out, holding her back.

The man simply chuckled and continued. “They’re pretty pathetic for dragon slayers. Considering I’m one myself, they were pretty lame.”

“Don’t you dare talk about Sting-sama and Rogue-sama that way!” Yukino yelled.

“Shut it, runt. You came here to take on the Oracíon Seis in your condition? You two must be fools!”

“Who are you?” Minerva demanded.

“Me? I’m Cobra of the Oracíon Seis,” he answered smugly.

“What is this Oracíon Seis?” Yukino asked with determination flickering in her eyes.

“None of your business,” he said. “And I’m here to make you regret coming here!”

“Y-Yukino!” Minerva gasped suddenly, shielding her before he could make a move.

Cobra leapt forward, a strange reddish-purple glow circling around his fist. “Poison Dragon’s—!”

“Wait!” a voice yelled, causing him to freeze. “Do not make another move.”

Cobra groaned and stopped right in front of Minerva’s face, lowering his fist. “The hell is up with you?” he said with a huff, turning towards the figure that appeared out of the shadows.

“Who’s here?” the voice asked, emerging from the back of the alley.

“That voice…it couldn’t be…” Yukino mumbled, and Minerva turned around. 

“You recognize it?” she asked, and Yukino froze when the woman appeared out of the shadows.

“Jeez, Angel, they intruded our territory and you wanted me to sit back and not do anything?” Cobra muttered.

“ _You’re_ Angel?!” Minerva said, her mouth opening slightly. “You better answer for this—”

“S-Sorano?” Yukino gasped, stepping out from behind Minerva.

Angel froze, her eyes widening in surprise. “Yukino?”

Minerva blinked in confusion, turning to her guildmate. “Yukino? You know her?!”

“I wish I could say I didn’t but…she’s…she’s my…” Yukino almost couldn’t say the words or believe the sight before her eyes. “She’s my sister…!”

“What?” Minerva and Cobra said together, glancing at the two of them.

“I am not your sister,” Angel said slowly.

Yukino looked surprised. “Sorano, what are you saying?”

“My name isn’t Sorano,” Angel hissed.

“But…sister…” Yukino started.

“Enough.”

“Should I take care of them?” Cobra asked, stepping forward.

“No,” Angel said, and Cobra shot her an incredulous look. She turned to face Minerva. “Why are you here?”

Minerva didn’t want to waste any more time. “We want the antidote to the PassionParfaits. We want Sting returned to normal at once!”

“Ah, I see you’ve already figured out our little plan,” Angel said, avoiding eye contact with Yukino. “I’m sorry, but I’m not handing anything over.”

“You will hand it over,” Minerva said in a strict tone, as if Angel were a little kid.

“I do as I please,” Angel said, brushing her hair with her fingers. “And I’m sure my little Sting wouldn’t want to come back to you anyway. He’s having quite a nice time here with us.”

“What are you doing to him?” Minerva demanded. “And he isn’t ‘your little Sting.’ He belongs to Rogue.”

“Oh, nothing much, really,” she said with a giggle. “And Rogue abandoned him, so he came to me instead.”

"Rogue would never abandon him, I'm sure he had a good reason to leave!" Minerva said. "And where is Sting anyway?! He hasn't been showing up for the past couple of days!"

“Why are you doing this?” Yukino squeaked out. “Why them? Why Sting-sama and Rogue-sama?”

Angel’s expression turned cold, but she still refused to look at Yukino. “I suppose I can tell you, considering there isn’t much you can do anyway.”

She was about to speak, but suddenly, another figure appeared from the shadows. “Lady Angel?”

“Ah, Sting,” Angel said, and Minerva and Yukino gasped. 

“That’s… _Sting?”_ Minerva said, not able to believe her eyes.

The person who stood before them looked nothing like the Sting they had once remembered. His hair was no longer blond; it was dyed a dark shade of sapphire blue, matching his eyes. He wore thick eyeliner around his eyes, and his usual outfit was replaced by a dark cloak, like he was some sort of warlock. A few scars littered his arms and cheeks, and Minerva wondered where those marks could’ve come from.

“What…what have you done to him?!” Yukino yelled, her eyes filling with tears. “Sting-sama! It’s us, Yukino and Lady Minerva!”

Sting remained silent, almost as if he couldn’t hear them.

“Sting-sama!” Yukino tried again, desperation in her voice. “Please listen to us!”

“Sting, sweetie, I think it’s time for you to go back to your room. Be a dear and do that please,” Angel said, stroking his hair.

“Yes ma’am,” Sting said in a low tone, disappearing back into the shadows.

“Sting-sama!” Yukino cried.

Minerva stood there, frozen, her hands shaking by her side. Angel smirked and walked closer, placing an ice-cold hand on Minerva’s shoulder. She leaned into the space mage’s ear, whispering their plan. 

Minerva’s mouth fell open as Angel spoke, and her gloved hands curled into fists. Everything she was saying…it was completely unbelievable, and also quite frightening. Once Angel had finished explaining, Minerva resisted the urge to punch her.

Yukino stood there, her face looking completely broken and awestruck. She didn’t know what to say, or if she had the courage to speak after what she had just witnessed.

Minerva stood in silence for a couple of minutes, but then let out a growl, glaring at Angel. “That’s such a dirty, low trick! How could you do something that?!” Despite trying to sound brave, she was trembling in fear.

Angel simply smirked. “I do apologize for all the side effects of my serum, but we really meant no harm. At least, not to you guys.”

“I thought it was an added bonus,” Cobra said with a grin.

“You filthy creature,” Minerva hissed. “You’ll never get away with this absurd plan of yours! And you’ll pay for the hell you’ve put us through!”

“Ah, but I’m afraid it’s already too late,” Angel said calmly, placing a hand on her hip and smiling at them. 

Yukino looked hurt and heartbroken, but she didn’t want to start a fight. Not here, not now. “We should go,” she said, grabbing hold of Minerva’s wrist. “Our business with them is over.”

With that said, the two of them walked out of the alley without another word, neither of them looking back at the woman who had turned their worst nightmares into reality.

* * *

 ✧ Present Time ✧

Rogue felt something burning in his pocket. It was hot, _really_ hot.

He raised an eyebrow, wondering what in the world it could be. He didn’t sense the presence of any other wizards in the area, and there were no fires around, so what could’ve been causing it?

Slowly, Rogue reached his hand into his pocket, and to his surprise, his fingers came into contact with something small but durable. He pulled it out, and his eyes widened when he saw what it was.

It was a communication lacrima, one that he forgot he had. He was stupid to not get rid of it sooner. He was about to toss it out, but it was burning, as if someone was really desperate to talk to him. He knew he’d regret it, but something inside of was telling to pick it up, and he couldn’t resist the urge or the overpowering curiosity. So he answered the call, holding the lacrima up to his ear as he let out a shaky, “Hello?”

“Rogue?! Is that you?!” the voice on the other end gasped out, sounding like there was a hitch in her throat. “Rogue Cheney, I’ve been trying to contact you for four months!”

“L-Lady Minerva?” Rogue was almost surprised to hear her voice. _Why does she sound so frightened?_ he wondered. 

“You have to come home Rogue, please,” she said, and Rogue did not expect someone like her to have such a pleading, desperate tone to her voice.

“W-why? What’s wrong?” Rogue asked, trembling. He felt guilt eating at his insides as he thought about how all of his guild members felt after finding out about his disappearance. He swallowed the lump in his throat, wondering what could’ve happened.

“It’s Sting…” Minerva said, and Rogue nearly felt his heart stop. “He’s…destroyed everything…our guild hall is a wreck…” Minerva breathed out, her voice beginning to sound shaky and weak.

Rogue was taken aback by this. His heart started pounding in his chest, and he could feel sweat forming at his temples. _No,_ he thought. _How could this be possible? I got rid of the root…so how…?_

“Why did you leave us?” Minerva asked when he didn’t answer, and Rogue had never heard her sound this terrified or anguished before.

“I thought…it was my shadow…that was making him that way,” Rogue said slowly, almost as if he couldn’t believe in his own words or logic. “I thought that if I stayed away from him, he’d return to normal—”

“Nothing’s been normal since you left!” Minerva almost screamed. “Please, just come home. You’re the only one who can stop him. There’s something we found out two months ago; we found out the real reason why he’s been acting this way!”

Rogue’s eyes widened again, desperation now sneaking into his voice. “Y-you have? What is it?” He leaned into the lacrima, waiting for an answer.

“In his room, we found boxes and boxes of some weird ice-cream called PassionParfaits,” Minerva explained with a whisper. Rogue felt too dizzy to question why she was whispering. “We tracked down where they came from, and with some help from Yukino—” Rogue quickly breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she was okay now — “we discovered that the person really behind all of this is—”

Her sentence was cut off by a scream, her own scream, and Rogue heard the sound of someone else, a deep, dark voice he didn’t recognize.

“Lady Minerva?” Rogue called, his palms sweating. “Lady Minerva?” he tried again, trembling. “Lady Minerva!” 

He heard muffled noises from the other end, causing his worry to grow even further. “Wh-what’s happening…?”

He heard one final scream before the sound of something hitting the ground filled the silence. Rogue’s heart was beating so rapidly he thought he might faint. His eyes widened, his hands shook like earthquakes, and he held the lacrima close to his ear, almost as if it were his last thread of hope. “Lady Minerva?”

Rogue could hear some sort of struggle on the other end, but before whoever it was could answer, there was a cry of pain that ended with a _click!_

The line went dead, and so did Rogue’s heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things just went completely dark, didn't they?


	8. An Angel's Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue finally makes it home to his guild, only to find it completely destroyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I APOLOGIZE SO MUCH FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE IM JUST SO BUSY WITH SATS AND COLLEGE APPS AND SCHOOL QwQ FORGIVE ME!
> 
> Here's a quick little summary of the previous chapter:  
> Minerva went to visit Yukino in the hospital, and then the two headed to Cream Sorcière to get information. Ultear, Meredy, and Jellal told them about what happened: their memories had been erased. They gave Angel's location to them, and the two went to their hideout, finding that Sting looks completely different. Angel explains their plan to them, and they go back with their hearts as heavy as lead. Later, Minerva finally gets a hold of Rogue, and before she can explain anything to him, the line gets cut.

Rogue had never run faster in his entire life. With his booted feet pounding against the dirt and cemented sidewalks, he raced back in the direction of Sabertooth’s guild hall, not leaving even a second to spare. 

Shadow travel would’ve been a better option, obviously, but his magic energy was nearly depleted due to lack of rest and malnutrition. He figured that in case there _was_ some sort of looming danger at the guild hall, he’d be completely vulnerable, but that didn’t matter to him. Not now, at least. If Sting was in danger, he didn’t need to think about anything twice before making his move.

As he ran through the desolate city, thoughts raced through his mind, filling his veins with more anxiety and fear than he could manage at the moment. All sorts of questions came to him: Why did Sting destroy their guild hall? What had happened to him? Was he okay? What happened to Minerva? He hoped he would find the answers soon, because the worry was eating away at his insides, making him feel nauseous.

It didn’t take long for Rogue to reach his destination, – which was no surprise considering how fast he was moving – and the sight before him was almost unrecognizable; when he got there, he put a few feet of distance between him and the building, forcing himself and his thoughts to come to a stop.

The first thought that entered his mind was: _Is this really Sabertooth?_

Rogue took in the condition of the building in front of him. The once perfectly structured guild hall was tainted black, almost as if someone had dumped a bucket of paint on it, and messily at that. The wooden doors were chipped and shattered, laying on the pavement beneath in shredded bits. The Sabertooth flag and banners were torn, stained with claw marks that resembled ones of some sort of demonic bear. Rogue almost couldn’t bring himself to believe the red patches stained by the doorway were blood, but he knew otherwise.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, taking in a shaky breath. Minerva had to have been mistaken. There’s no way Sting could’ve caused this much damage; no human could’ve done something like this.

_Sting, where are you?_ Rogue wondered, taking a hesitant step forward. He was afraid of what he might find inside, but he couldn’t just stay outside forever. Sting needed him, and he definitely wasn’t going to run away and back down now.

He took another deep breath, willing himself to go forward. The last bits of the door hanging idly from the doorway clattered to the ground as he stepped inside, and he was greeted with darkness.

Maybe it was better that way, because it protected him from a sight he didn’t think he’d be ready to see. Inside the guild, the smell of blood was so strong he nearly choked; it filled his nose with a nauseous coppery scent, making him wonder why he couldn’t pick up the scent from outside. As he lifted his cloak to cover his nose, cursing at his enhanced senses, something moved beneath his feet, causing him to let out a faltering shriek.

“W-who’s there?” he managed out, eyes and ears on full alert. Red irises stood out and glowed like rubies in a cave, scanning the room for any suspicious people, or things. The shuffling sound beneath him grew louder, moving about the tattered floorboards. Rogue started to grow impatient; he raised his voice, whether out of fear or anger or both he didn’t know, “Show yourself, coward!”

He took a shaky step forward, hoping to face whoever or whatever was lurking in the shadows, when suddenly he tripped over something — or rather, _someone,_ he realized, after getting a better look at the thing.

Heart pounding against his ribcage, Rogue hesitantly placed his palms on the person he had tripped over, trying to feel for a pulse. He couldn’t exactly tell who this person was, but their scent was familiar enough to let him know it was one of his guildmates. If the smell of blood wasn’t overlapping their scent so much, he may have been able to identify them. He couldn’t use his sight for obvious reasons, considering how dark it was — so dark that not even his enhanced eyesight would be of any use.

“Hey, wake up…” Rogue pleaded, slightly shaking the damaged body. “Please…I need to know what happened. Who did this to you?”

Helplessly he tried to get the person to wake up, but to no avail. No amount of shaking, begging, or pleading was enough to heal all the wounds etched deeply into the body’s skin, the ones that prevented this person from breathing normally. Rogue felt his eyes burning — his nose too, when suddenly, someone behind him let out a satisfied sigh.

Rogue jerked upwards immediately, standing up so fast he started to see a galaxy of darkness freckled with small hints of stars.

A voice spoke out to him, a voice that sounded so familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time.

“Welcome home, Rogue,” it said, sending a chill down Rogue’s spine. _Who the hell…—_

Before he could even turn around to see who it was, let alone make a single movement, something hard — _really hard_ — hit the back of his head; before he knew it, the last of his vision had sapped away, and everything spiraled into darkness.

* * *

Rogue’s eyes fluttered open almost painfully. When his vision slowly started coming back, escaping the gray fuzziness and looming red streaks, he noticed that he was in some sort of ancient-looking room. The room was dark for the most part, save for a small window in the corner only letting in a small stream of sunlight. The air was very arid, smelling like dust and sandstorms and feeling as hot as the desert. Cobblestone bricks made up the four surrounding walls, and Rogue felt like he was in a castle, trapped like a damsel-in-distress.

Which, in case you’re wondering, he was — _trapped,_ that is. He realized this when he tried to push himself upward, but noticed he already _was_ standing up, or rather, upright.

His wrists and ankles were clamped to a circular board of wood, holding him in place. The wood was being held up by some sort of ancient machinery that looked the middle piece of a ferris wheel.

He hadn’t a clue of how he ended up here. All he knew was that the position he was in was bad, and that he had to get out of here as soon as possible.

In a desperate attempt to escape, he used his replenished energy (how long had he been out, anyway?) to turn into his shadow form and slip out of the shackles, but he realized that there was a slight problem.

The cuffs binding his wrists and ankles were magic suppressers. Rogue couldn’t even use the tiniest ounce of magic no matter how hard he tried, how hard he struggled. As he cursed under his breath, groaning in frustration, the only door in the room suddenly swung open, revealing a slim figure cloaked in the shadows. As the figure got closer, Rogue could see that whoever it was, they were practically glowing.

He was about to ask who entered, but then his nose caught scent of something. The scent of this mysterious person was oddly familiar. He could’ve sworn he recognized the scent, the one that left a bad taste in his mouth. As his mind raced with possibilities, it landed on one that made his breath catch, causing anger to surge through him like a volcano about to erupt.

The figure smiled, letting out a huff of amusement. "Ah, so you're finally awake."

Rogue struggled against the chains, leaning forward with his teeth clenched in fury. “So you are real!” he yelled, steam practically blowing out of his ears, “How come Meredy and the other workers didn’t know you?! What did you do to them?! What the hell are you planning?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO STING?!”

“Questions, questions,” the figure said, stepping out of the shadows, her voice icy, cold, menacing, “you ask so many of them.”

“I don’t want your attitude,” Rogue growled as he saw Angel’s features fully come into view, “I want answers!”

“What you want is something different,” she said, a sinister expression crossing her angelic features, “You want Sting, don’t you?”

Rogue’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt his throat closing in on itself. “He’s…he’s here?” He pulled at the restraints again, but they only tightened, much to his dismay.

Angel nodded, twirling around once and reached for a bell that was hanging off of one of the circular hooks on the wall. She grabbed the handle and rang it once, twice, thrice.

Rogue watched her in confusion, sweat pooling at his temples, when suddenly, someone else appeared through the doorway, causing him to go pale.

Sting’s scent filled the room as if someone had cracked open a bottle of perfume. The nostalgia brought tears to Rogue’s eyes, but that wasn’t the only reason. What he saw before him, this _thing:_ it didn’t look like Sting in the slightest. He didn’t even believe it was really him; if it weren’t for his scent, he would’ve never believed it in a million years.

“What…what have you done to him…this is...” Rogue’s voice sounded almost distant, as if he were in an alternate reality. “Sting…Sting, is that…is that really you?”

His eyes wavered in the dim lights, staring ahead in complete shock. Sting didn’t speak; he just stood by Angel’s side, his sapphire eyes cold and dead.

“Explain yourself!” Rogue choked out, trying to keep his voice steady. He pulled and pulled and pulled, but the only thing he got out of it was more chafing.

Angel completely disregarded his statement. “You say you don’t like my attitude?” she pouted, and to Rogue’s horror, slowly inched closer to Sting, dragging a perfectly-manicured-yet-sharp nail across Sting’s jawline. “What a shame. Sting here seems to enjoy my attitude a lot. Isn’t that right?”

Sting nodded in response, and Rogue felt sick to his stomach.

“Ah, what a good boy,” she purred, ruffling his hair, threading her fingers through the strands. Hair which had once been a beautiful blond, reminding Rogue of the bright sun, but what had now become a deep blue like the depths of the ocean where only disgusting and vile creatures lurked.

“S-Stop touching him!” the tone in Rogue’s voice turned desperate, and he swore that if he pulled any harder, he might fall over.

“Aw, but he’s my pet, you see,” Angel said, holding him close to her chest. “I’m afraid you can’t do anything about it.” She looked up at him with a smirk, and Rogue wished he could use every ounce of rage in his body to slice her head right off her shoulders.

“Leave him alone…I’m warning you…”

“Oh, but Sting doesn’t want to be left alone.” She twisted strands of his hair between her fingers, and Sting just stood there, completely motionless. “He’s been visiting me a lot since you left, you know. I kept him company as his so-called boyfriend just _abandoned_ him.”

“I would never abandon him!” Rogue yelled in rage, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, “I did it because I thought it would save him! I didn’t think you’d do this to him! I knew it was you who had been hurting him all along, but I…but I…”

“Enough,” Angel said, holding her hand out. “I don’t care to hear your rambling. I think I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. Reconcile, if you will. It may be the last time you'll ever get to talk. I must meet with my team to discuss further plans, now that you're awake.” She turned to Sting, leaning towards his ear. Rogue’s enhanced senses picked up what she was saying: “Don’t let him out of your sight, and don’t let him leave this room.”

With that said, she exited the room, shutting the door behind her, leaving Rogue and this unrecognizable form of Sting alone in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS RANDOM BUT TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY YEE


	9. Into the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remorse fills every fiber of Rogue's being and he can't help but blame himself for what Sting has now become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Things just get slightly dark here. This chapter has some nsfw-ish related things and it's forced contact, so if you are bothered by those, feel free to skip this chapter. I can summarize what happens afterwards if you'd like.

“Rogue.”

His voice came out nice and smooth, clear-cut like a fresh puzzle set. However, it wasn’t the same voice that Rogue had grown to know and love all these years. There was something in it, something deep, rough, and poisonous, something that brought more pain than softness to his sensitive ears.

“Sting…”

He replied with the same bitterness in his voice, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he did not know.

“Are you hungry, babe?” Sting asked slowly, and Rogue flinched at the use of the pet name. Mainly because of the way it sounded with Sting’s new voice, all rough and scratchy but lacking the main factor: love. Or at least, genuine love.

When Rogue said nothing, Sting continued to speak. “You must be hungry. You’ve been passed out for hours.”

“I’m fine,” Rogue finally said, but Sting was already rummaging through a box that Rogue failed to notice in the room. Within seconds, Sting had that damned product in his hands, those _PassionParfaits._ “No, stop! Don’t eat any more of those!” Rogue burst out of his quiet manner, desperation now filling the void in his voice. “Can’t you see that those things are what made you what you are now?!”

“I know,” Sting answered, surprising Rogue, but didn’t put the items back. “I was thinking that maybe you should get a taste of some. Then you wouldn’t be so resistant, and we could finally be happy together.”

“We already were happy together!” Rogue yelled in frustration and hurt, furrowing his brows into an angry expression, “I don’t want this, Sting! I don’t want any of it! I despise it all…just look what this one thing has done to you…”

“Oh come on, at least give it a try,” Sting demanded, approaching Rogue while holding out a spoon. He lifted it to Rogue’s mouth, signaling him to take a bite. Rogue jerked his head away, steering clear from it.

Sting scowled. “Don’t be so stubborn.”

“I should be saying that to _you,”_ Rogue retorted.

Sting lowered the spoon, watching Rogue with an unreadable expression.

Rogue turned to look away, unable to meet the eyes filled with new swirls of unrecognizable emotion — if there _was_ any emotion, that is — when suddenly, he felt cold hands touch his chin, pulling it upwards, and again, he was met with those distant, once beautiful, eyes.

“Hey,” Sting began, running a finger gently across Rogue’s jawline, “don’t look away from me.”

Rogue mentally cursed at himself when his cheeks flushed; honestly, he couldn’t help it. Even if this wasn’t the Sting he had remembered, it was still him physically, and not even this crazy ‘transformation’ could change that.

“You should say something,” Sting said huskily, sliding one hand across Rogue’s cheek to cup his face and grip a few strands of dark hair. “Or, you could make me shut up, you know.”

“I…” Rogue let out a shuddery breath, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second.

It didn’t take Sting long to realize the possible fear shining in Rogue’s eyes.

“You’re afraid of me,” he said, almost in an accusing manner. “Why is that? You said you’d love me no matter what, didn’t you?”

Rogue let some air return to his lungs and bit his lip with a frown. “Yes…I have said that.” His eyes roamed all over Sting's body, scrutinizing his new appearance. “And I still love you but…” he watched Sting’s expression carefully, watching how his lips twitched, “you’ve changed.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t love me still,” Sting responded immediately, and Rogue wanted to just run away, away from this _thing_ that clearly wasn’t his Sting, but he just kept going. “Words are just words, so I won’t believe you until you prove it to me.”

“W-what are you going to make me do?” Rogue asked nervously, willing himself to remain brave.

“Kiss me. Right now.” He tilted his head to the side, looking at Rogue’s lips with a half-lidded stare. His crystal earring glimmered in the small stream of sunlight that reflected off the surface in a pale glow.

Rogue would’ve said yes, he really would have; it was so tempting. But this wasn’t the Sting he remembered, this was no longer the bright, sunny Sting who filled his heart with light and happiness. He had to save him, save him from this inexplicable darkness, before he could even _think_ of doing anything intimate.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Rogue’s voice came out in a soft whisper, like he was struggling to say the words trapped in his throat. He was watching his words carefully, because he knew far too well what would happen if Sting got angry in this state.

“I’m not _asking,_ ” Sting muttered, and Rogue swallowed the lump in his throat. “Kiss me, _NOW.”_

“Sting, please–”

But that wasn’t enough to stop him.

Sting moved forward, pressing his lips roughly on Rogue’s, seemingly craving with hunger. Rogue let out a sharp gasp, trying to move away from this unexpected advancement, but he didn’t have the space or energy to retreat. Sting bit down on Rogue’s lip gently at first but then more roughly, and Rogue found it increasingly difficult to suppress certain noises coming from his throat.

“S-stop it…” Rogue breathed out in between kisses. “Sting, please!”

“Shut it,” Sting growled, pulling back for a second to watch as trickles of blood dripped down from Rogue’s lips. He smiled in amusement, pressing his knee against the board Rogue was strapped to. “Don’t move, babe. You look so beautiful right now…”

Before Rogue could protest, Sting grabbed a fistful of his hair, jerking his head upwards. Rogue’s eyes wavered in a mix of emotions, but he couldn’t do anything to stop him.

Sting leaned forward once again, this time licking the blood that had trailed down Rogue’s chin. Rogue shut his eyes, praying that this would all end soon, praying that the heat in his stomach would recede so his mind could clear up again.

“That’s it…good little Rogue…don’t move,” Sting whispered, trailing kisses down Rogue’s neck. He bit a certain spot on Rogue’s throat, and Rogue’s whole face went red, and he bit his already-sore lips to keep himself quiet.

Once Sting had finished biting and sucking on that certain spot for what Rogue thought felt like centuries, he wiped his mouth carefully, cupping Rogue’s face once more. He gazed into his eyes in a seemingly loving manner, but his affection wasn't mirrored back. 

“You always ask for my consent…” Rogue breathed out, panting slightly. His cheeks were flushed, and his dark hair had loosely fallen all over his face. “I d-didn’t give you permission to do that to me!”

“Huh, I didn’t hear any complaining,” Sting said, and then added, “well, not after the first time you told me to stop.” He grinned at Rogue’s current position, taking in how he was strapped down, and that sent chills down Rogue’s spine. “You know, I’ve always wanted to try BDSM…”

“ _Sting!_ ” Rogue snapped, gritting his teeth in frustration, “Snap out of it! Our whole guild is in danger, and you just want to mess with me at a time like this?! What’s wrong with you?! I know you’re under influence of this stupid PassionParfait thing, but can’t you tell by now?! Come to your senses! Everything we ever loved is at stake, so why can’t you just understand that?!”

Sting frowned, tightening his grip on Rogue’s face, causing him to let out a groan of pain. “You talk too much. You should keep quiet like you did at the beginning. Or else I’ll kiss you again.”

“Let me go!” Rogue yelled, tugging at the restraints. “At least play fair, you asshole! _RELEASE ME AT ONCE!_ ”

“You’re being a bit too noisy…” Sting mumbled, ignoring Rogue's outburst of rage. He moved his thumb across Rogue’s lips, forcing Rogue to go quiet. “Ah, that’s better…”

“Sting, _please_ ,” Rogue begged, leaning forward. “You’re my last hope. You have to get me out of here so I can save you and the others!”

“Forget about the others,” Sting said, lowering his voice to a whisper. He lifted Rogue’s chin up, kissing his nose softly. “Only focus on me for now. We’ll have fun, okay?”

“What kind of fun—”

He was cut off as Sting suddenly fell on top of him, and with a shiver, he felt Sting's hands move up his shirt. After trailing fingers across Rogue's skin, Sting's hand landed on Rogue’s abdomen. Rogue shuddered in discomfort; Sting’s hands felt so cold and unfamiliar.

“Sting, I said st—”

He was cut off when Sting’s hips pressed against his own, and Rogue could feel starbursts of pleasure, regret, and guilt all at once. 

He almost lost himself in the dizziness of all of this, but suddenly, the door burst open, causing Sting to fall back in surprise. Rogue released a breath and hung his head down, too embarrassed to let whoever just walked in see the look on his face.

“That’s enough... _reconciliation_ ,” Angel said, entering the room in an elegant gown. “I see you two were having fun without me.”

Rogue’s ears started burning. He continued staring down at the floor, letting his eyes land on Sting’s boots. 

“Sting,” Angel said, causing Rogue’s eyes to widen, “come here, sweetie.”

As if he was being remote-controlled, Sting stood up on command and walked towards Angel, taking a place by her side. 

“That’s a good boy,” Angel purred, running her fingers through his hair. She pet him almost like he was a cat. 

“Hands off…” Rogue choked out, gasping for breath. “I said don’t touch him!”

“I only will if he tells me to stop,” Angel replied with a wide smile on her face. 

“Sting…tell her not to touch you!” Rogue pleaded, lifting his head slightly. “Let him go!”

“You’re so troublesome…” Angel said with a smile. Slowly, she bent over and kissed Sting’s cheek, causing rage to fill Rogue’s veins. Angel’s smile only grew at this, and she hugged Sting close to her chest, rubbing her hand on his cheek softly. “Yes…that’s it…get angry…”

“STOP IT!” Rogue practically screamed. He pulled with so much force that the board holding him fell forward, and so did Rogue. His chin hit the floor, and he tasted blood in his mouth. Within a second, the board fell on top of him, still restraining him. Rogue saw stars, and everything fuzzed out and went black for a moment, but he hadn’t lost full consciousness yet. 

Everything was still a blur, however, and the giggling of Angel suddenly faded into nothingness. Her voice was replaced with a much deeper, darker one, and when Rogue recognized whose it was, his heart nearly stopped.

 

_Rogue._

“You…just what in the hell do you think you're doing here?!” Rogue whispered forcibly, almost at the verge of tears. So much was happening to him all at once and he didn’t think he could handle it all at the same time.

_Hear me out, will you?_

“Never! You’re just my stupid Shadow, I don't have to listen to you!”

_You owe me that much. After all, you believed I was the one who caused Sting to fall into darkness._

Rogue’s breath caught. It wasn’t wrong. Because of his false assumption, Sting had become who he was today. The memory and sensation filled him with waves of guilt and regret, and he felt his whole body trembling. If he hadn’t left Sting all those months ago, he wouldn’t have become like this. If he had just trusted himself more and stuck by his side, none of this would be happening right now. If he hadn’t run away…—

What he had thought was the right thing to do may have been the biggest mistake he ever made.

“Just leave me alone…” Rogue said weakly, shutting his eyes. 

_You want to save Sting, don’t you?_

Rogue’s eyes immediately opened again, and he felt his heart rate speed up. “What did you say?”

_I can help you get your little… boyfriend back. You just have to listen to what I have to say._

Normally, Rogue would never give in to the Shadow’s offers; he wouldn’t even _consider_ them. But he was desperate now, too desperate. He needed to save Sting, and he couldn’t do it in his current state. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he needed the Shadow’s help, even though it was painful to say so. 

_I’ll give you power. Power to beat his darkness._

“Can he…can he really be stopped? Only light can beat darkness…and Sting was the one with that light….”

_You underestimate me._

“I’m just being reasonable! Shadows can’t save the light!”

_But he is no longer light, is he? Listen, boy. Only shadows can beat other shadows. Allow me to lend you my strength if you ever want any hope of saving him._

Rogue bit his lip. His breathing was off, his heart rate was beating at an off-the-charts speed, and his whole body was shaking, his palms and forehead laced with sweat. Did he have a choice? Would succumbing to his Shadow really save Sting? Wasn’t there any other way?!

“Give me time…Just another few minutes…” Rogue croaked out. “I just need time to think…”

_Stubborn fool. Fine then, I’ll give you a few minutes. Choose wisely._

With that said, the blurriness in Rogue’s vision finally cleared. He was a mess on the outside, but on the inside, especially in his mind, it was complete chaos. Feelings of regret, panic, and remorse filled every inch of his body, and he began to overthink every little thing. It was a hellish battle in his mind that he was getting tired of fighting. 

That overthinking, however, was put to an end soon enough, when something came into Rogue’s field of vision, clearing his mind completely of everything but rage. 

Angel. She’d done enough damage already, but what she just did was the worst thing he could’ve ever imagined. 

How dare she. How dare she touch him like he belongs to her, how dare she claim him as her own, how dare she use pet names on him that were reserved only for the two of them. But worse of all, how dare she kiss him, right in front of Rogue, so greedily and shamelessly like that?

There was no room for thinking now. The darkness in his heart was far too great; his permission wasn’t even required to bring out the Shadow. It completely took over, overcoming Rogue who was screaming in rage, masking him in a darkness that he wouldn’t be able to break out of anytime soon. 

Rogue felt all his senses slipping away, his consciousness spiraling out of his control. Before he knew it, everything became pitch black, and he was consumed by eternal darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gaH. Things are about to get interesting. I think next chapter will be the last, or there will be one more following. I might do an epilogue or something too, it really depends. Thanks to all of you who have been reading this and supporting me throughout the whole thing, and I'm really sorry for the slow updates.


	10. It All Ends Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel's plan is revealed, and all the events unravel and come to their final conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so excited to announce the completion, aka the final chapter, of this multichap stingue fic! i am so proud of myself for completing my first fic ever, so i hope you all enjoy the ending! i put a lot of effort into this chapter, which is why it took so long for me to publish. 
> 
> p.s;; there's a bit of yukinerva smut (nothing too explicit, just mild and sweet) bc i couldn't help myself aha and our girls totally needed a moment after that chapter of minerva pining over yukino. if you want to skip it, well, i think you'll know where it starts and ends. (btw i debated so much on whether or not to include it but i just left it in there as a little bonus so yeah and since i'm ace i'm not very good at writing sexual things so it's literally not even that nsfwish) 
> 
> thank you for all the wonderful comments and kudos and to all of you who have supported me throughout writing this whole thing! enjoy the final chapter of bittersweet and let me know what you think at the end!

“That’s it…that’s it…!” Angel’s voice, suddenly maniacal, sounded loud and clear throughout the room despite the chaos. 

A twisted expression took form on her face as she watched Rogue with dangerous, glistening eyes, irises shining like amethysts in a dark cave. Her hands clasped together tightly, as if in triumph, and Sting turned to her, wondering what the hell she was talking about. 

“ _What’s_ it?” he asked in confusion, raising an eyebrow. 

She turned to him with careful eyes, hiding something behind the swirls of purple. “Nothing you need to worry about,” she remarked, meticulously rubbing her hands together. 

Sting’s mild expression morphed into a frown. He ignored her strange behavior and followed her gaze back to the _thing_ in front of them. “What are we supposed to do now? He’s…changed,” he said, watching as Rogue’s appearance transformed completely. It was difficult to even make out the shape of his body; all Sting could see was a huge black cloud of shadows and darkness with a pair of glowing red eyes protruding from within. 

“Not _we_ , my dear Sting,” Angel whispered, taking a lock of his hair and twisting it between her fingers. “You will stay here and keep him under control while I make the preparations. Try not to get killed, but hey, if you do, it doesn’t really matter.”

“Wait…what?” Sting faltered a bit, as if his ears had deceived him. He turned to face her, but she was already gone; a silvery piece of her dress disappeared out the door and out of sight. 

Sting tried to go after her, his mind rapidly flooding with questions. However, before he could do so, he was greeted by a forceful attack, one so powerful and unexpected that it sent him flying against the back wall in an instant. A huge crack appeared where he landed, spiderwebbing out into fissures and nearly causing the whole room to shake. 

“Gah…what the hell?!” Sting yelped with a groan, his hand immediately reaching to cover the ugly wound on his abdomen. Blood spilled out like a waterfall, staining his palm and fingers with a deep red. He stared down at the wound in horror, wondering how one attack could cause so much blood loss. 

Sting hadn’t even anticipated it, which was weird, considering his heightened senses. But the weirder thing was this: despite being struck in the stomach, most of the pain he felt now was rooting in his head. He didn’t have much time to think of it, though, because a deep, dark voice suddenly spoke, sending chills down his spine. 

“You…will…die…” the voice emanating from Rogue growled. “Traitor! Liar! Two-faced jerk!”

Sting’s teeth gritted against each other, both in pain and annoyance. “The only traitor here…is—” _you, because you left me,_ he was going to say, but was interrupted by a fit of coughs; blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth, and he realized with a jolt of panic that he had been struck in a vital spot.

“Don’t speak, you insolent fool,” Rogue hissed, completely ignorant of Sting’s pain. “Scum like you doesn’t deserve to say anything to the likes of me.”

Sting spit a mouthful of red onto the floor as if in protest and wiped the dark streaks trailing from his mouth. He glanced up at Rogue with a sincere look in his eyes. “Well, aren’t you a shady bastard? Attacking me out of nowhere, seriously? I don’t want to be in this situation either, so cut the crap and—”

And suddenly, Rogue was in front of him; he moved so swiftly — almost as if he were invisible — that Sting didn’t even see him. 

Another sharp pain overtook him in a flash, and Sting cursed, unable to stand the fact that Rogue had gotten to him _again—_ that, and in such a short amount of time. He felt like daggers were digging into his throat as Rogue wrapped his hands around his neck, squeezing so tightly that he could hardly breathe. Before he knew it, he was violently thrown onto the floor, which nearly knocked him unconscious; Sting saw stars behind his eyes, but the intensity of the blow had also knocked some sense into him. 

The next attack had come as quickly as before, but this time, he was able to anticipate it in the nick of time and dodge effectively, but just barely.

Looking back, Sting released a breath of relief as Rogue’s fist hit the ground beneath them and not one of his ribs. He placed a trembling hand on the wall to support himself, leaving behind a bloody handprint.

He couldn’t afford to take another hit like that. 

“Nice dodge, but you won’t get so lucky next time…” said Rogue. His voice pulsed with a malicious tone; it was deadly, dangerous, distasteful. “When I’m through with you, you’ll be nothing but a heap of scattered, fragmented bones.”

Sting’s eyes locked on to the figure in front of him in a stone-hard stare. He tried hard not to waver, not to let the small amount of weakness inside him shine through. “Rogue…God…will you please chill out?!”

He wanted to say more, but a shockwave of pain radiated at the core of his wound, causing him to groan in pain and clutch it once more. He had to find a way to get Rogue to come to his senses now, and fast, otherwise he wouldn’t make it through this. Just one hit had rendered him to a horrible state already; he didn’t want to imagine what else could happen. 

“As if I’ll over obey you, lowlife,” was the response he received to that. Great, Plan A had failed. Negotiating clearly wasn’t an option.

Sting’s eyebrows furrowed together, both in anger and confusion. “What the hell happened? You were fine a couple of minutes ago…what’s wrong with you?” 

Rogue grinned at that, and watched as Sting’s expression morphed into something that looked like a mix of frustration and fear. “A bit ironic, isn’t it? You’re getting a taste of your own medicine.” The confusion in Sting’s eyes amused him. “Now you know how Rogue felt. It’s your fault, you know, that he’s like this.”

“Why are you talking about yourself in the third person? And I didn’t do anything wrong…” Sting whispered, but something in the back of his mind was trying to force its way to the front, as if it were a sign, a message, desperately seeking to tell him something he was clearly missing out on.

“Oh yeah, sure, of course you didn’t.” Sarcasm spilled from Rogue’s voice, dripping like venom. “That’s exactly why all this chaos happened. Why the guild is destroyed, why I was able to possess Rogue’s body, the usual.”

“ _Possess his body?”_ Sting’s vision was fading, but he willed himself to stay focused on the shadowy being before him. He had clearly underestimated Rogue’s strength, but it wasn’t the time for regrets now. “Who…who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter, worthless bastard,” Rogue answered. “The chemicals from that dessert you ate are slowly being discarded through the loss of your blood. You will return to your old self once I’m done playing with you, but I can’t let that side of you remain.”

Sting’s mind was spinning. A sharp throbbing took place in the corner of his skull, sending bursts of pain through his head. He felt as if he were being electrocuted from within while being stabbed in the eye sockets at the same time. 

“I..don’t know what you’re talking about,” he managed to say. “I thought…that was what Rogue wanted…for me to go back to my normal self…” He was starting to become painfully aware of everything now. 

“Are you finally conscious of your pitiful transformation?” Rogue chastised, as if he had read Sting’s mind. 

Sting scowled. “I already knew that the stuff Angel was giving me was changing me, but I didn’t see it any differently. I couldn’t have. I didn’t know what I was doing, the things I’ve been saying. I was under some sort of control. Even if some part of me knew that my actions and words were wrong, they only seemed right and natural to me at the time…”

Rogue was about to say something, but suddenly, Sting let out a painful cry, interrupting his thoughts. He stared as something sparked in Sting’s brain, almost as if his mind had short-circuited. With a gasp, Sting clutched his head in agony at the sudden, immense pain, collapsing to his knees with a _thud_. Rogue simply watched him with a blank expression, showing no feeling of pity or commiseration.

“Wh..what’s h-happening to me…?!” Sting stuttered, lying on the floor in an awkward position. Everything around him faded into a blur, and he felt as if he were reliving the moment when his dragon pulsed from within him. 

And suddenly, without warning, an array of images flashed behind his eyes, sending him into a dreamlike state and leaving him motionless on the cold floor.

“Just what did that woman even put into that damn thing?” Rogue muttered to himself, watching as Sting promptly writhed beneath him. 

“No…I didn’t…I didn’t do this…I can’t believe…no, I’m proud of this…I’m glad…they deserved it…agh, no, I am horrible for doing this…yeah, right, that was actually a good thing to do…stop, it’s not!” Sting’s nails dug into the flesh on his forehead, leaving behind prints of crescent moons. He was gripping his skin so tightly that if he pressed any harder, he was surely to tear it. 

“These side effects aren’t looking so pleasing,” Rogue said, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he was somewhat enjoying the sight of it. “Maybe I should end your pain so you won’t have to continue on with this suffering.” He took a step forward, but Sting started rambling again, causing Rogue to let out a frustrated sigh.

“There’s no way…I hurt Yukino?…Yes of course, she touched what’s mine…no, that’s not right! If he’s mine and I want to protect him, why the hell did I nearly kill him?!…Ah, that’s easy…he was being annoying…How can I even say that?!”

Rogue watched as Sting’s eyes filled with tears, watched the way his throat became tight with each breath he took.

“Make it stop…make it stop…this is a lie!…Ha, I am glad I did all of these things…it made my life worth something again. After all, killing is one of the things I’m best at…no way, just what the hell is wrong with me?!”

“All right, that’s enough. Get up, worthless bastard.” Rogue appeared in front of Sting, finally through with his blathering. Without a single moment of hesitation, he slammed his foot into Sting’s ribcage, sending him flying hard against a nearby pillar. The impact was so harsh that it snapped Sting out of his memories and plunged him back into reality. 

With a jolt, Sting sat up, blinking rapidly. Sweat trailed from his temples, and his heart hammered in his chest, causing him to slightly quicken his breathing. He lifted his head and slowly looked around, as if to make sure that he really _was_ back in reality.

“You really are such an ignorant fool for falling for that woman’s trap,” said Rogue, towering over Sting. “Just look at you. You’re a wreck.”

But Sting wasn’t listening. Or at least, he tried to, but he couldn’t: All he could hear was a faint ringing in his ears, like he’d just come out of a hearing booth at the doctor’s. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, not muttering a single word.

Rogue tapped his foot impatiently and clicked his tongue at the lack of reaction. “Hey. Like I said, the effects of that dessert are starting to wear off. I don’t know what’ll happen to you, but I wish you the worst.”

It took a moment for Sting to put things together. His head was still throbbing with random flashes of images, but the pain had died down a bit. He tried to lean against the wall and take a short rest, but the intensity of Rogue’s glare weighed down on him, causing him to flinch.

He looked down now, with guilt pooling inside of him. What he saw in those _visions_ were horrible — the way he had choked Rogue and nearly killed him, the way he caused him so much pain and worry, the way he acted so improper and possessive without consenting to anything, which he never did.

“Do you have something to say?” Rogue crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head ever so slightly.

Sting’s voice came out distant and soft, as if another spirit were communicating through his body. “I…I guess you’re right. Ever since you hit me, I’ve been realizing things that I hadn’t before. I’m really confused right now, but I think I’m beginning to understand what happened to me and the way I’ve been acting through it all.”

Rogue let out a noncommittal grunt. “Good for you, but it’s too late now. I won’t spare you and your pathetic life.”

“Are you sure about that?” Sting said, with a little more confidence than he thought he could muster. “Because I’m not going down like this. I’m not as weak as you think I am. I can still fight…”

“You are more foolish than I thought, for sure,” Rogue stated in a mocking manner. “You won’t be able to move in that state, and with the memories coming back to you at such a rapid force and speed, you won’t even be able to fight me properly. I’ll just finish you off and end all your pain. So think of it as me doing you a favor.”

“I’m Sting Eucliffe, Sabertooth’s Guild Master,” Sting growled, slamming his fist into the wall. “I don’t need any favors from the likes of you! I don’t care how badly you hurt me, I’m going to fight till the very end! Just like Natsu…!”

“A guildmaster?” Rogue scoffed. “Please, you killed more than half of your members and injured one so badly she ended up in the hospital for _months_. And Natsu? That fire boy? Don’t tell me you are having an affair with him just like you have been with Angel?”

“I don’t like her, and Natsu is just someone I look up to,” Sting said calmly. He knew getting angry wouldn’t help, so he pushed his emotions deep inside, locking them away in the core of his heart. He didn’t bother responding to that first part, the one about the murder. It was something he didn’t want to think about— he knew he wouldn’t be able to bear it, and right now was not a good time to be thinking of things like that. It would only disrupt his concentration and possibly cost him his own life. “What you saw…it wasn’t real. There’s no way I like her or Natsu in that way, the only person I have feelings for is you— well, Rogue…” 

“Lies!” Rogue screamed, causing Sting to wince. “You’re a traitor, and you never listen to a word I say! Was I not good enough for you?! You nearly killed me the other day! You’re the only one who is messed up, not me! I hate you…I want you out of my life! Do you know how much pain I endured for you, only to be betrayed in the end?! You fucking bastard! I don’t need you anymore, so be prepared to die!”

Sting gasped at that, unable to believe his ears. He had once heard about Rogue’s Shadow form, but from what he was told, it never got emotional like this— it only ever thought of destruction. 

It was different now. There was emotion to the voice; it seemed as if a part of Rogue — the _real_ Rogue — was speaking. The angry, brutal side. A side that Sting didn’t even _think_ was a part of him. 

“Is this…is this really how Rogue feels about me? He lived on like this, thinking that I didn’t truly love him?” Sting asked softly, still unable to believe the words from the outbreak. 

There was a shuffling noise. The shadows around Rogue flew in different directions like an electric spark, and then boomeranged back into itself, as if it were beating itself up. Sting stood still in confusion, until there was a sudden halt of all movement, and the shadows lowered to their original position, floating aimlessly beside the clump of darkness. 

“What just—” Sting began, only to be interrupted by Rogue.

“Quit worrying about him. The only friend he needs is me. The rest of you are all weak, useless, and should just disappear from this world.”

“You have no right to speak for Rogue…let him go! I want to talk to him personally and explain everything!” Sting yelled, slowly losing his patience. 

“And how do you plan to apologize? Saying sorry won’t change what you’ve done. Do you really think I am that weak to be convinced with a simple, worthless apology?”

“He’ll listen to me…he’s not like you! You may be a part of him, but he’s separate from you as a whole. We’re close, we’re partners, he’s my boyfriend… he’s the love of my life! I wouldn’t choose anyone over him…so please… give him back to me!” He took a moment to hold his head, his fingertips pressing into the area just above his eyes.

“You were less annoying when you were still injected with the chemicals of that disgusting dessert,” Rogue said with a frown. “Perhaps letting a lot of your blood spill wasn’t the best idea.”

“Shut…up…” With each breath he took, his chest ached, and more shockwaves of pain erupted in his head due to his searing migraine.

Rogue watched him with a blatant expression. “So you say you can still fight, huh? We’ll see about that.”

Sting knew that he couldn’t face Rogue like this. His heart and mind were too weak to handle this powered up version of him, so he did the only thing he could think of to keep fighting. 

He grabbed the box filled with _PassionParfaits_ and rapidly ate as many as he could.

“…You moron, _just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!_ ” Rogue growled, stepping forward, as if it would scare him into stopping. 

But Sting continued to eat. He ate more than what Rogue thought he could muster. 

“Bastard…stop that! Are you really that much of a fool?!” He tried to move to stop him, but his entire being froze in that moment, rendering him useless.

Sting ate and ate and ate, ate until the entire box that was once stocked with PassionParfaits had reduced to emptiness. Rogue watched in horror, infuriated at his boldness. 

Sting’s hair darkened completely, almost matching the shade of Rogue’s Shadow. His eyes looked more alive than usual, sparking with a light that made Rogue sick to the stomach. His skin became pallid to the point where his veins were visible from underneath the surface.

“It’s a fair fight now,” Sting said with a grin, dropping the empty box to the floor. It took him a moment to go through the side effects, but since it wasn’t his first time, he passed through them pretty quickly. “It’s on, Rogue. I’ll be sure to kill you quickly…”

Rogue’s eyes narrowed. Despite his frustration, his motives did not waver. He knew that it wouldn’t be as easy to kill him now, but did it matter? A fight was a fight, and he would take the win no matter what.

“You ready?” Sting asked, taking his position.

“You’ll be dead before you can even say ‘PassionParfait,’” Rogue responded. “Look how quick you are to change…you’re pitiful.”

“Save the talk for later,” Sting said, cracking his knuckles. “It’s on.”

And in a flash, their fists met, and the real fight had begun.

* * *

“Guys, get ready. It’s time.”

The group of four people sitting around a small, round table looked up, staring in confusion at the woman who had just entered the room.

“Ready for what?” a man named Racer asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“The ritual, you fools!” Angel yelled, her patience thinning. “What do you think this whole plan involving those two dragon slayers was for?!”

“Jeez, calm down, lady,” Cobra said with a sly grin. “You mean those posers? Ha, what’d you do to them?”

“Nothing. I just completed my part of the task. Now hurry up! We don’t have much time!”

“Is this going to be painful?” another man asked, by the name of Hoteye. “For the shadow boy.”

“Who knows? I haven’t done this before. Come on, quit asking useless questions,” Angel answered with a sigh.

“Who gave you the right to be in charge?” A shorter man spoke up, rising with elegance. “I am the rightful leader. What I say, goes.”

“Excuse me, Midnight, did _you_ go through all the trouble of spoiling and taking care of an annoying brat to make this plan work?” Angel asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No, and I do not need to. I’m taking leadership back now,” Midnight said.

“Whatever,” Angel said with a groan. “Just make it fast.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” said Midnight, causing Angel to roll her eyes. “Alright. Everyone, take your positions. Draw your marks on the ground below. Remember, put a bit of your blood into the center of your circles. That is crucial to this ritual.”

“Are you serious? You aren’t even going to go over the details with us?” Cobra asked.

“I do not think it’s necessary. If you are going to be a slacker, then just use your magic to listen to my thoughts. I’m not explaining this again,” Midnight stated.

“I will begin, sir,” Hoteye said with a nod.

“I bet I can do it faster than all of you,” Racer added with a grin.

“Speed is not important. Just get it done,” Angel said. “And you better not mess up. Or you’re dead. Literally.”

“Enough chatter. Get to it,” Midnight commanded, stepping forward.

Angel, Racer, Hoteye, and Cobra did as they were told, putting into place a practice they’d been going over for weeks. They’d prepared for this for months, and now it was finally time to put their plan into action. The wait had finally been over.

Midnight knelt down near the others and drew his part of the diagram, sketching out his circle into the clay of the ground beneath them. The five of them worked on their designs, making sure it fit perfectly with the picture they had in mind. 

One mistake could be fatal, so they couldn’t afford to mess up. Not now.

* * *

“Minerva-sama! Minerva-sama!”

Minerva Orland woke up to a wet, warm feeling on her face. The room she awoke in was dark, so dark that she could barely see a thing. She couldn’t even tell if her eyes had opened. As she blinked rapidly to clear her vision, a burst of snow white hair obstructed her line of sight, causing her to let out a long, breathy gasp.

“Where am I?” she breathed out, holding her chest. She tried to sit up, but felt a sharp pain in her back, forcing her to stay still on the floor. “God…what happened to me?”

“Oh…thank goodness you’re awake!” a voice cried out, startling her. She searched the darkness for who it was, and then a sense of familiarity washed over her as the voice became more audible. 

It was Yukino. Oh, how glad she was that she was still alive.

“Yukino? What are you doing here?” she asked, straining to keep her eyes open.

“I…I came back to the guild and found it in ruins…and when I went inside, everyone was….” her voice caught in her throat, and Minerva suddenly remembered all the events that had taken place before she had ended up here.

“Gone. Dead,” she finished for her, trying to erase the images out of her own head. Yukino shut her eyes tightly, and Minerva glanced at her sympathetically. “How did you find me?”

“I thought you were gone too…but I just kept wandering the area to see if you’d be here, and then I found you just lying still on the floor. I felt for a pulse, and you were still breathing!” Yukino explained, wiping tears from her eyes. “I’m so glad…”

Minerva smiled, blushing slightly at that. “Yukino, I’m so grateful for you…” 

And suddenly, she felt her lungs constrict. It became hard for her to breathe, she realized, and her eyes filled with panic at the sudden pain.

“M-Minerva-sama…is everything okay?!” Yukino asked worriedly, her eyes shining in fear.

“H-hard…to breathe…” Minerva choked out, pointing to her throat. Her vision went dull, and her head was spinning, blotting out any outside noises.

“Don’t leave me….!” Yukino cried, tears pooling in her eyes again. “Please!”

Minerva couldn’t say anything, as much as she wanted to. Her wounds hadn’t healed yet, so she was still left in a crippled condition from the last attack. 

But then, it was like her soul had been lifted.

Without warning, warm lips pressed against her own, filling her lungs with air. She found this ironic— normally, contact like this would’ve left someone breathless, but right now, her lungs had expanded, allowing her to breathe once more.

“Y-Yukino…” Minerva breathed out, clutching her chest once more. When her vision cleared up again, she realized Yukino was on top of her, which, she had to admit, she enjoyed greatly.

“Oh!” Yukino cried out, turning a bright shade of red. She scrambled to move off of her, but Minerva held her there with the little strength she had left. “I-I’m sorry, I should’ve stayed on the side, but I found it easier this way…”

“You…you saved me,” Minerva whispered, smiling slightly. 

She and Yukino lay sprawled on the ground, gazing into each other’s eyes. Minerva was still in pain, but it was worth enduring if it meant Yukino would remain on top of her like this. Yukino’s chest felt warm against hers, and it was her making her stomach curl with heat.

“I did the first thing I could think of. I’m sorry if you didn’t want that…” Yukino said softly, looking down.

Minerva shook her head. “That was the best feeling I’d ever experienced.” She cupped Yukino’s face with one hand and used the other to brush her hair gently. Yukino smiled, making her heart beat faster. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Huh?” Yukino said, surprised by her last statement. 

“Yukino. Listen to me. I…” Minerva paused, not knowing whether or not she should say what she had in mind. So, instead, she did what she thought would convey her feelings properly. 

As Yukino watched her, her brown eyes shining bright with innocence, Minerva brought her face down and kissed her deeply.

Yukino let out a small gasp, but it only lasted a short moment. Soon enough, she closed her eyes, returning the kiss. Her heart pounded through her chest, and she could feel Minerva’s heart as well, beating at the same pace, if not faster. 

They rolled over, awkwardly lying on their sides, but with their lips still locked together. 

“M-Minerva-sama…” Yukino started, as Minerva’s lips pressed harder on her own. She giggled, hesitantly pushing her hand up where Minerva’s dress had been slashed, so she could touch her skin, feel the warmth of it, and pull her closer. 

“Yukino…I have loved you for so long…and I think…when you kissed me, it made me crazy,” Minerva admitted as they parted for a moment, trying to hide her embarrassment the best she could. “Oh God…look what you’ve done to me, I’m a mess.” She licked saliva from her lips, and pulled Yukino on top of her again, so she was straddling her waist.

“Minerva…we’re in the middle of something important,” Yukino said softly, but she too wanted more. Her heart hammered in her chest, her body begging for more contact, but she knew that she would have to save this for later. “We have to—”

She was cut off by another kiss. Minerva wasn’t giving her much time to take breaths— immediately, her hands went underneath Yukino’s shirt, wrapping themselves around her waist as she pulled her closer. Yukino was suddenly hooked on this, and she pressed further, holding Minerva’s waist with one arm and using the other to pull her face closer. 

The tension sparked a fire inside Minerva, and without a second thought, she brought her hands up to Yukino’s chest and squeezed gently, massaging the soft skin. 

At that, Yukino let out a soft moan. Minerva felt a heat wave spark through her body, and she threw all sense of shame and dignity out the window. 

As she kept Yukino’s lips on her own, she reached for the bottom of Yukino’s shirt, pulling it upwards. Yukino didn’t show any sense of resistance, and Minerva took this as an admittance of consent. They parted only for a moment so Minerva could pull her shirt off completely and toss it aside. She was about to capture Yukino’s lips in her own again, but when she caught sight of Yukino’s chest, it rendered her motionless. 

“This,” Minerva breathed out, her eyes swirling with lust, “is the best thing…I’ve ever experienced.”

“M-Minerva-sama…” Yukino said softly, covering her chest with her arms after noticing that Minerva had been staring at it. Her bra was still on, but she still felt slightly embarrassed and exposed.

“You don’t have to be shy,” Minerva said soothingly. She reached for her, but then stopped herself, trying not to lose control. “But… if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to go with this.”

Yukino remained silent for a moment. She thought about it—yes, she wanted it. She wanted more. She wanted more affection, more kisses, more touching. She wanted Minerva. It wasn’t the right time, of course, but her mind had already become lost in the intensity of it all. 

So, to Minerva’s surprise, and to show her approval, she slowly reached to her backside and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the side. She looked down, too embarrassed to meet Minerva’s eyes. For a minute, neither of them moved or dared to say a word. 

But then, Minerva couldn’t take it anymore, and she threw herself forward, not caring about the pain. She knocked Yukino to the ground, and Yukino felt a sharp burst of cold pierce through her back as it hit the cold stone beneath them. She didn’t focus on it though, because Minerva was doing that thing she loved, what she had only found out about moments ago. Touching her chest, feeling it. And now, there was an added bonus. 

Yukino didn’t think she’d enjoy neck kisses this much. 

Minerva sucked at the sensitive spot just underneath her jawbone, trailing kisses down slowly. All Yukino could do was bite her lip to suppress another moan. Minerva noticed this, however, and it made her a bit frustrated.

“Come on Yukino…” she panted, fondling her chest more. “Let me hear your beautiful voice…”

Yukino covered her mouth, but from the way Minerva was kissing her, touching her, _feeling_ her, it was all too much. She let out another moan, and Minerva’s eyes brightened with satisfaction. 

She made her way down to Yukino’s chest with her mouth, biting and sucking her skin. She pushed her hips down against Yukino’s in the process, and Yukino was so overwhelmed that she didn’t even have the consciousness to try and hide any sounds coming from her. 

Minerva moved one of her hands up to pin Yukino’s fists over her head. She was always more of a sadist type, so seeing things like people pinned down made her go wild. 

Even in the darkness, with only a small ray of light shining through, Minerva could tell how beautiful Yukino was. The flushed look on her face, the way her hair was sprawled on the ground beneath her, the small amounts of saliva sliding down her mouth. 

“I’ll pleasure you more, my princess,” Minerva said softly, making Yukino shiver. “What do you say?”

Yukino simply nodded, too lightheaded with need to speak any words that would make sense.

Minerva smirked. Slowly, she lowered her head towards Yukino’s chest, preparing to do something she knew Yukino would absolutely love. However, just as she was about to make contact, a loud explosion erupted throughout the whole room.

Yukino yelped at the burst of sound, falling back onto her hands. The smell of smoke rapidly filled the air, making their eyes water a bit.

“What’s going on?” Minerva whispered, looking around. There was no sign of any damage nearby, so the explosion must’ve come from a distance, she figured. 

“I…I’m not sure,” Yukino squeaked out, suddenly feeling the cold burst of air. She covered her chest, shivering. “We should…we should go check it out.”

Minerva let out a sigh, but knew she was right. She gave Yukino one last look, and whispered, “To be continued?”

Yukino’s face flushed, but she nodded. “Let’s get going, Minerva-sama.” She reached down to grab her clothes, but to her shock, they were slightly burned, probably from the explosion.

Minerva had already begun walking, but when she noticed that Yukino wasn’t following her, she turned around in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“M-my clothes…” Yukino whimpered, frowning at the blackened, crisped material. 

“Damn…” Minerva pressed her lips together, not knowing whether to feel grateful or bad for her, but she had to be logical here. “Uh…here, wear this.”

She slipped off her jacket and handed it to her. There were some rips in it from being beaten, but it was nothing too bad or revealing.

“Thank you…” Yukino whispered, putting it on. It was a little tight on her, but it was better than nothing. 

“We’ll go stop somewhere and get you a new pair of clothes. Can you walk?” Minerva watched her worriedly, realizing her crutches were also unusable, having been burned as well. 

Yukino shook her head slowly, using the side of wall to help her stand.

Minerva just smiled at her sympathetically. “Come on, I’ll carry you. Hop on my back.” She knelt down, and waited for Yukino to get on.

“Are you sure about this?” Yukino asked with hesitation. “You’re already injured, and I’d only make it worse!”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this. Just trust me,” Minerva told her. “Let’s go. It won’t be long anyway. I’ll use the last bit of my magic to get us to where we need to be.”

Without another word, Yukino climbed on Minerva’s back, holding her tightly. And with that, they headed towards the colored mass of Minerva’s portal, determination heavy in their eyes. 

* * *

Sting didn’t see it coming.

Their fight so far had been completely equal on both sides; they were so evenly matched that it was practically impossible to have a finalized winner. However, there was one catch: Sting’s power was slowly diminishing through the loss of blood, which Rogue was making sure he’d lost _a lot_ of. So, with every hit he took, he was returning to his old self, the one who had a heart of gold for Rogue, the one who couldn’t bear to land another attack on him, and it was making him weaker, powerless.

This had rendered him paralyzed for a bit as he watched Rogue with sad eyes, giving his opponent the perfect opportunity to attack. 

“Give up already!” Rogue yelled, striking Sting’s leg. He kicked him in a sweeping motion, throwing off his balance. 

Sting knew, despite being overwhelmed with wounds and agony, that he couldn’t give up now. If he wanted Rogue back, he’d have to fight until the very end. 

“Make me!” he countered, slashing at Rogue’s ribcage as he sprung up from his faltered position. 

Rogue growled in dissatisfaction, holding his side. “You…you piss me off.”

“I’d say the same…but I don’t want to argue and waste my breath,” Sting said in response, panting.

“I’ll end you soon enough,” said Rogue, reaching for a hilt strapped to his side. He pulled out the katana stored there, raising it high in the air, as if to intimidate his opponent. 

“Can you just spare me for a second?” Sting gasped, struggling to hold a standing position. “Listen…we need to talk.”

“I have no time for your pointless chatter,” Rogue said. 

“Stubborn bastard…” Sting muttered under his breath, clenching his fist. “Just give me some time to talk to you!”

“Why? So you can have time to come up with some plan to escape me? Don’t take me for a fool. I’ve been with Rogue for a long time now, and I’ve been watching all his fights, all his battles. I know the kind of things the enemies pull, and I’m not falling for any of them.”

“What if…” Sting held his head, trying to ease the pain of the throbbing. “What if I told you that you were being used?”

“Used?” Rogue’s expression twisted into something human for once since his transformation. “By who? It’s not possible. You’re just stalling, miserable human.”

“I’m not!” The look in Sting’s eyes was serious and condescending. “You and I…we both hate Angel for what she did. Don’t you think…she could’ve had some motive for all this? Why would she bother messing with the two of us out of everyone else? I’m pretty sure doing all this shit has another purpose besides just fucking with our lives…”

Rogue paused for a moment, as if taking this thought into consideration. “Why should I believe you?”

“Rogue would’ve believed me!” Sting shouted. Desperation seeped into his eyes, and he hung his head, not knowing what else to do or how to explain it. His magic power was nearly drained, and the pain— both emotional and physical — was far too great for him to handle. “I’m starting to remember bits and pieces of her plan. And I just came up with that conclusion, alright?”

“Pitiful.” 

“I’ll explain it if you give me time to remember. Please, Rogue…”

“That boy is long gone. Don’t even try to reach out to him,” Rogue hissed, stepping forward. “I am his Shadow, and I’ll make sure you plunge into eternal darkness!”

Not even sparing Sting a second to figure out what was happening, Rogue leapt forward, shooting out shadowy blades in his direction. 

Sting’s eyes widened as clouds of black neared him, but he didn’t have much time to think of it in that moment. Something clicked in his mind, and his heart sped up as he realized what it was.

_Shadow…preparations…ritual…_

Then it finally came to him. The plan he had heard her say; it was clear to him now. Using his last bit of strength, he pushed himself up, coughing out blood in the process, and reached a bloody, bruised hand out towards Rogue. “Rogue…wait…I… remembered their pl—“

But he never got to finish. Something sharp pierced his heart, causing fireworks of pain to burst from his chest. He let out a shrill yell, collapsing to the ground as he felt blood welling from the wound. His hands fiercely gripped the blade, trying to pull it out, praying that he would not lose his willpower. However, in his weakened state, he was no match for the strength of Rogue’s Shadow. The blade sunk deeper into his skin, and he let out another cry of pain. His arms shook violently, so much that he couldn’t even hold onto the blade anymore. They fell to his side, beat, broken, and bruised. 

“You lose.” Rogue laughed maniacally as he looked at Sting lying limp before him. His body was being held up by spiky shadows, and Rogue’s katana was deep into his targeted location— his heart. 

“Damn..it..” Sting’s voice went hoarse, barely understandable through the blood pooling from within.

“Enjoy the afterlife,” Rogue said before pulling the blade out. It was stained from bottom to top with red, small droplets falling at a rhythmic pace.

“Rogue…I…” He reached out to him one last time, his hand trembling like an earthquake. He opened his mouth to say something, something important, but nothing would come out. Sting’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, until a dangerous thought entered his barely functioning mind.

_No…wait…not now! Please, give me five more seconds! I never…I never got to say sorry for what I did!_

But it was too late. Life disappeared from his eyes, his body, his soul. The hand that reached out towards Rogue fell to the ground, cold and motionless. 

Dead.

At that very moment, footsteps came rushing down the hallway. Rogue turned around to see who it was, and his triumph quickly morphed into anger as he saw the figure that appeared in the doorway. 

“Angel…” He spoke her name as if it were a curse. 

Angel didn’t care about the way he looked at her. All she did was smirk, in a way that made even Rogue’s Shadow feel uneasy. 

The rest of the members joined her. They peered around Angel’s frame and saw Sting’s dead body on the floor, and they howled with victory.

“Holy shit!” Cobra yelled, staring in awe. “Damn, that kid really had it, didn’t he?”

“Focus!” Angel snapped, glaring at Cobra. “He’s finally gone. Now start it. The ritual.”

In that very moment, Rogue’s mind sparked. As Cobra, Racer, Hoteye, Angel, and Midnight surrounded him, he let out a bloodcurdling scream, startling all of them. 

“Sting…he wasn’t lying…” came a shallow voice from Rogue’s body. He was still in his Shadow form, but it was slowly dissipating. 

Angel watched in horror as the darkness around Rogue disappeared completely, her eyes losing all the light they once carried just seconds before.

“No…this can’t be happening…! All my hard work!” she cried, covering her mouth. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Cobra grimaced at her. 

“Moron! The ritual can’t be done if—“ Her words died in her throat as she heard a heartbreaking sob. She glanced down and saw Rogue, no trace of the Shadow left.

Tears pooled in his eyes as he looked at Sting. His trembling hands reached out and held his face. For a moment, he couldn't believe it was real. He let out a small laugh, trying to convince himself that it was all a dream. "Hey...where's the light in your eyes...Sting? That pretty sapphire blue..."

"Ugh, this is painful to watch..." Cobra rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "He's fucking creepy."

"Your smile...please smile..." He pushed his fingers against the corners of Sting's mouth, trying to shape it into the smile he so dearly loved. 

"He's dead, loser. Just accept it," Racer said suddenly, not enjoying the sight. 

“No…how could this happen?” His voice was very soft, wavering under the agony that had ripped his heart in half. His head fell towards Sting’s chest, and he stayed in that position for a while, sobbing, knowing that he could no longer hear the beat of his heart.

Hoteye held a tissue to his eyes, feeling sympathetic for his loss. “He lost his love…”

“Your soft heart can get you killed,” Midnight said. “Just look at what it did to them.”

Anger spiked in Rogue’s veins. He lifted his head, clenching his fists. Tears continued pouring down his scarred face. “This is your fault! You people did this to us!”

“Woah, did we strike a nerve, shadow boy?” Cobra snickered.

"Don't do that, it's rude," Angel chastised. "Even for us."

“Shut up! Sting was right. You only wanted to use me…!” His gaze weighed down on the others, putting even Cobra in an awkward position.

“Hey…don’t get so angry. You’re the one who killed him,” Racer pointed out sheepishly.

Rogue swung his head around. He reached for the blade he used to kill Sting, staring at it with remorse. “This will justify what I’ve done.”

“What’s he…is he going to fight all of us?!" Angel started, but then let out a gasp of horror.

Rogue, without a second of hesitation, stabbed himself in the heart, _hard_. Fresh blood coated Sting’s, making the rusty red blade shine a bright crimson.

“Shit!” Cobra yelled in panic, running towards Rogue. He reached for the blade and yanked it out, hoping it would spare them a few seconds, but to no luck. 

He was gone in an instant, and his body fell on top of Sting’s, weightless and stripped of life. 

Angel was speechless. Midnight was indifferent towards it all. Hoteye continued feeling sad, and Racer looked tense. Cobra looked angry, but he felt something else inside that he couldn’t explain. 

Silence filled the room, but it didn’t last very long. Another set of footsteps came hurrying in their direction.

“Who the hell is still here?” Midnight questioned, eyes narrow.

“Wait! Sting, Rogue, do not give in!” a voice yelled in the distance. “Their plan! They just want Rogue’s shadow to come out so they can steal its power for themselves! They used Sting as bait to trigger the shadow, since they figured out that Rogue loves Sting and would be greatly affected by his transformation!”

It was Minerva. She came out of the shadows, beaten and out of breath. Yukino followed close behind, trying to keep up as best she could with her crutches. When the two of them entered the room, they searched for Sting and Rogue, hoping they heard the news. 

“It’s too late…you fools…” Angel said with a raspy voice. “They’re—"

But the rest of her words faded into the empty space that filled Yukino and Minerva’s minds. It felt as if the whole world had stopped turning. They stared in front of him, eyes wide in horror as two corpses laid before them. 

The two of them looked horribly beaten; blood was escaping out of every gash in their skin, every bruise, scratch, and mark darkening into ugly shades of color. Their bones looked dismantled and cracked judging by the awkward position they were in, but even so…they looked _peaceful_. Rogue’s body was on top of Sting’s, his arms hanging limp around the other. Sting’s arm lay beside him; Minerva could tell that he had been the one to die first. 

Just seeing it made tears flood out of their eyes. Yukino fell to her knees. Her crutches dropped to her sides, filling the empty silence as she continued staring at them without saying another word. 

* * *

Yukino walked into the field with an elegant black gown. She wore a sullen expression on her face as she headed down the aisle, clutching a tiny pouch in her delicate hands. She was no longer handicapped and could walk as freely as she did before.

Minerva spotted her right away, immediately running over to her. “Yukino! Where’ve you been?" Her eyes locked on Yukino's, and something sparked between them. "You missed the funeral…”

“I did not wish to see Sting-sama and Rogue-sama like this…” she said quietly. From the corner of her eye, she spotted the workers from Cream Sorcière. The pink-haired one — Meredy, she recalled — was crying her heart out. The blue-haired man, Jellal, rubbed her back softly while the other woman, Ultear, held her in a comforting embrace, trying to calm her down. But Yukino could sense that they were hurting on the inside too. Who wouldn’t?

“Yukino…” Minerva began, but suddenly, Yukino stared into her eyes, a serious expression taking form on her face.

“Minerva-sama, there’s something you have to see.” The hand of which she was holding the pouch started trembling.

“What is it?” Minerva wondered, watching her carefully.

“Remember…on that day…after we found them dead in the middle of the room…”

“Yukino, you don’t—“

“Please listen. As their bodies were being carried away, something fell out of each of their pockets. I took them when nobody else was looking and polished them at home.”

“Polished…? What did you find?”

“Take a look.”

She handed the pouch over to Minerva, who took it with a growing curiosity. Minerva pulled open the bag and reached in, and her fingers made contact with a cold metal. She pulled the two objects out, and when they came into view, her eyes widened.

“This is…!” Minerva gasped, unable to believe her eyes. 

Yukino nodded, her eyes spiraling with many emotions. 

“No way…” Minerva said softly, her hands now trembling.

Two engagement rings. Each carved with words in latin, ones that Minerva was all too familiar with.

_Aeternum Coniuncti._

United Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you think it would end well? as if. mwahahaha.


End file.
